


Look no further

by mutschekiepchen



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2013-04-13
Packaged: 2017-11-16 22:17:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mutschekiepchen/pseuds/mutschekiepchen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two lost souls meet. One human, one vampire. Is it fate or sheer coincidence? Will they be able to heal each other? Or will their encounter end badly for the both of them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was first published on FF.net, under a different penname – jasperskitty. But there’s no need to worry, we are the same person. I’m thinking about moving all my stories here, after revising them.
> 
> In this case I changed the POV. The original was told in the first person, this time the story will be told from the third point of view.
> 
> Oh, and in this world, vampires can drink alcohol.
> 
> Enjoy!!!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Chapter 1

 

The monotone landscape of the surrounding desert flew by fast, blurring in its shapes and forms, as Jasper Whitlock drove his black car down the vacant highway. For all he knew he was somewhere in the southeast of Nevada, his final destination still unknown. But since there was no place he needed to be – right now or ever – his exact whereabouts were of no importance to him.

For the moment nothing mattered, nothing but the feeling of pure exhilaration.

Sure, driving a car at high speed wasn’t exactly a thrill for someone like Jasper. As a vampire was just as fast on foot, but he loved driving. He just rarely ever got the chance to truly enjoy it. He was always careful not to draw attention to himself, always abiding by the human traffic laws – but not tonight. Tonight he had the opportunity and he took it, ignoring all the rules, simply savoring the moment.

Jasper had the windows rolled down, the warm and dry summer breeze fanning his blond, chin-length hair out of his face. It was a quite pleasant feeling, the warmth on his ice-cold, durable skin, like the gentle, loving touch of a woman. Not that he’s ever experienced such a thing in his life, which wasn’t by any means short, but he always imagined it would feel exactly like that. 

Not going there, Jasper chastised himself, shaking his head vehemently in order to rid himself of the pleasant and yet disturbing mental pictures of himself, holding a woman in a lover’s embrace.

Of course, he’d had his fair share of women in his one hundred and fifty plus years but it has always been just sex, nothing more, nothing less. A fleeting, empty experience, leaving him more often than not rather unsatisfied, and most of the times the humans completely drained of their life essence. Jasper knew what sexual desire felt like, but love? Not a clue, whatsoever.

But then again, finding love wasn’t very high on his list of priorities, because it meant opening up to another person, share all your worries and fears with them. Jasper knew he wasn’t ready for that kind of thing. In fact, he was quite certain that he would never have something like that, ever. And why would any woman – human or vampire – be interested in someone like him? One look at his scarred skin would be answer enough, not to mention his invisible yet equally countless mental scars. Who would want to deal with that?

There was no need for reminders. The fact was plain and simple, and would always remain the same. He was damaged goods, with nothing much to offer but misery and pain. And who would want something like that? No one. That’s how it was, and how it was always going to be for him. Jasper had accepted that fact a long time ago, which was why he didn’t look for any kind of companionship any longer.

Simply put, he’d given up hope.

And yet, Jasper couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something vital was missing in his life. But for the sake of his own sanity, he decided long ago to simply ignore it. He had two good friends and that was going to be enough. In his opinion it was all the happiness he deserved, after all the atrocities he’d committed. He saw no way to redeem himself in any way. That’s why he didn’t even try.

Jasper let out a heavy sigh. He knew it didn’t do him any good to dwell on things he couldn’t change. He knew it would be better to concentrate on the only important matter at hand – driving. Not that it was necessary. As a vampire he had no trouble splitting his focus, what with the peripheral vision and all that, he could do many things at the same time. But still … it wouldn’t be the first time the blonde vampire totaled a car in some temper tantrum, because he was thinking too much. So yes, it would be wiser – in order to stay sane and leave the car intact – but telling himself to keep his mind off things was easier said than done. Like telling a human to stop breathing, it was damn near impossible for a vampire to stop thinking.

It was late, almost midnight according to the clock on the dashboard. Not that time actually mattered to someone like Jasper. He didn’t require sleep or rest at all. This was only one of the perks that came with being a vampire. Inhuman speed and strength, and of course immortality were also neat side effects. Being a vampire was great … for the most part. But sometimes he truly missed being able to close his eyes and drift off into slumber land. He envied the humans for being able to shut out the world. They had no idea what a luxury it actually was to experience complete silence and peace of mind.

There was another reason why Jasper was feeling that way, and why he preferred to stay on his own.

All vampires shared the same physical assets, but some of them also possessed some kind of psychic ability. And Jasper was one of those lucky devils. Empathy was his thing. Others may think it was a cool and handy gift, but he begged to differ. Being able to sense everyone’s emotions, all the time, wasn’t pleasant, far from it actually. At most times it drove him crazy. Especially the negative ones like fear, hate, anger, sorrow, shame were hard to handle, even for someone like him. True, he had years and years of experience. And maybe he should have managed to gain some sort of control over time, some sort of mental defense, but he hadn’t.

Jasper’s worries were quite reasonable though, considering his past was anything but pleasant. For almost a century he’d lived in hell, training, fighting and killing countless newborn vampires. Not to mention the thousands of human victims. Back then fear and anger were on the daily menu, he was quite literally drowning in it. He had been really lucky, that Peter had come back when he did, to pull his sorry ass out of the pit. Sooner or later he would have found a way to end his existence one way or another. Jasper knew he owed Peter more than his life, and he would never be able to repay his friend for what he did. Not that he asked, but still …

After his escape Jasper had tried to live with Peter and his mate Charlotte for some time, but it hadn’t worked out. Jasper liked them both very much, but he wasn’t ready to settle down, especially not with mated vampires as his roommates. Their constant vibes of lust, desire and love were equally distressing for him, just like fear and hate had been before, back in Texas with Maria. Of course Peter had tried to convince Jasper to stay, eager to help him get more control over his power, but Jasper had declined. He needed to be on the road, always running, always searching … and never finding the one thing that still eluded him to this very day – peace.

Of course, from time to time Jasper checked on them, staying for a couple of weeks, before he was back on the road again. He still had some problems controlling his gift, even now, after sixty years living in freedom, but at least it had gotten a bit easier being around his friends.

His lack of ability to control his gift was the main reason why he kept to himself most of times, why he tried to avoid large crowds all together. True, he had fairly good control over his bloodlust now, but he still hadn’t learned to achieve the same self-control over his empathic gift. He still let the emotions of others get the better of him.

Jasper knew Peter would argue that in order to achieve control Jasper would have to conquer his own fears first. But he saw no real use for putting himself through that ordeal, that’s why, he didn’t even try. Jasper didn’t want company, any company. He was good on his own. He was still walking, talking, not breathing, but alive, for all intents and purposes. He may not have any true goals, no reason for being, but he was still here, constantly searching for something unknown, something that seemed to be unattainable.

Jasper wasn’t happy. That specific sensation was foreign to him. But for the most part he was content. He knew Peter would argue with him on that too, but they’ve come to a silent agreement a long time ago, to never bring that subject up again. Just live and let live, that sort of thing. And it worked, more or less.

All of a sudden Jasper was pulled out his little pity party. First there was a weird clicking sound, followed by a hiss, and then the engine began to stutter. A second later he could see steam rising from the hood. More out of reflex than anything else he immediately pulled his foot of the gas.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Jasper cursed under his breath, when his car finally came to a complete and final stop at the side of the road. He slammed his hands on the wheel in frustration, carefully minding his strength. He didn’t exactly know how he had managed to accomplish that, but considering he was in the middle of nowhere, Jasper knew it wouldn’t be wise to damage the car any further than it apparently already was.

Grumpily, the vampire got out of the car and opened the hood, more steam escaping the confined space. Unfortunately, Jasper didn’t know anything about cars. When one broke down, he usually just bought a new one, not even considering sending it to the repair shop. And should he? It wasn’t that he couldn’t afford it. In fact, he had enough money to buy himself two or three new cars a months, if he wanted to. But out here, in the middle of nowhere, his choices were rather limited. With a grunt, Jasper closed the hood with a little too more force than necessary. He walked back to the driver’s side, slumping down into the seat, taking a couple of seconds to consider his options.

Running instead of driving was always a viable option. But crazy as it might sound Jasper preferred driving a car as a means of transport. Don’t get the wrong idea, he still thought that running was fun and exhilarating, but driving was so much better, especially nowadays. But maybe he was just weird that way. Or lazy … but who cared. Of course he could just leave the car here and make it to the next town by foot, and just purchase a new vehicle. But he’d grown quite fond of this one. Fortunately, thanks to his perfect memory, he remembered driving by a gas station just a few miles back. In his book, going back there to find someone who could fix his car was the better of the two options.

Now that his mind was made up, he put the gear into drive and stepped out the vehicle. Thanks to his strength it wasn’t a big deal to push the car the whole way. It took him only five minutes. Behind the gas station were a small motel and a twenty-four diner.

Good, I could use a drink …

Jasper parked the car right in front of the gas station. He sounded the horn once, making his presence known. A middle-aged man dressed in a blue jumpsuit came right outside when he heard the noise, immediately offering his service to help. He took a quick look at the engine, swiftly coming up with an explanation. Jasper didn’t pay much attention to the details, but he got the cliff notes. The damage was minimal, easily fixed by morning, which was good news, but also meant that he would have to find something to do to keep himself busy till then.

Jasper paid the man in advance, hoping it would speed up the process, but somehow he doubted that, giving the time and the place. With nothing left to say or do, he left the gas station and went over to the small diner. Maybe he would also rent a room at the motel, just to keep up appearances, of course.

Taking in the exterior of the building, a feeling of déjà-vu came over him. It was nearly fifty years ago …

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

It was in Philadelphia. There was a storm that night, and it was raining hard. Due to the late hour and the bad weather condition there was barely a living soul on the street, but Jasper was still careful. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself by walking carefree through the pouring rain, which was why he decided to find some shelter.

He didn’t have to search long, spotting a small diner right across the street. Deciding this was as good as any other place to wait for the rain to cease, jasper crossed the street, heading straight for it. Through the window he was able to ascertain that the place was pretty much vacant, much to his delight, even though he wasn’t hungry at the moment. He’d already quenched his thirst on two humans that night. But to be honest, he was more concerned about his ability to control his gift than his bloodlust. To him all humans smelt pretty much the same, but only blood wise. So far he hadn’t had the pleasure to come across one human whose blood sang to him, which was certainly a good thing. He could easily imagine the extreme, but equally short-lived satisfaction that came with the experience of drinking the perfect blood. What a shame it would be, to discover something like this, only to lose it just as quickly.

Just thinking about it, made Jasper’s mouth water. Shuddering, he swallowed down the venom. He knew it wasn’t wise to let his mind wander in that direction, especially not when he was about to step into a confined space with humans.

As soon as Jasper was through the door, his body stiffened on the spot. He could tell by the strange yet familiar scent in the air that another vampire was in the vicinity, apparently for quite some time since the entire room reeked of him or her, overshadowing even the mixed stink of alcohol, human sweat and stale grease.

Naturally, his vampire instincts kicked in right away. Fight or flight? Fight or flight? His gut told him to get out of there at once, but of course his brain (and his pride) was telling him to stay put. Maybe he was too over-confident for his own good, but considering there were humans around, he didn’t really expect an attack. Keeping their existence a secret was rule number one. Every vampire knew that. Well, almost every vampire.

In the end Jasper didn’t get the chance to make a final decision on either of his choices, because just a few seconds after his entrance a tiny woman with black, spiky hair jumped from a stool at the bar, and walked … well more like danced right over to him. Jasper hadn’t moved, still standing at the door, rooted in place, contemplating his options.

When she came closer, a growl, too low for human ears, broke free from his chest. It was a warning, and obviously she got the message, keeping some distance between them, but it still wasn’t good enough for Jasper.

Going by her size and stature, Jasper was sure that she wasn’t much of a threat, not to someone like him, with his kind of background, but he also knew from experience that where there was one there could easily be another, hiding somewhere out of sight. Already preparing himself for a fight, mentally and physically, Jasper quickly glanced around the room, counting heartbeats and faces. She was indeed on her own … well at least in here. It was a relief, but only a small one.

“You’ve kept me waiting for a long time. I was starting to get worried.” She chirped, smiling at him beatifically.

Jasper could tell that she wasn’t just weighing him in false security. She actually meant every word. Her emotions were pretty easy to read. She was practically bouncing, absolutely ecstatic with joy. Jasper almost smiled back, but not because he was sharing her feelings. Quite the opposite actually, her presence made him extremely uncomfortable. Her emotions were so intense, already threatening to overwhelm him. He hated that feeling, and for good reason. Being incapable to distinguish between his feelings and those of others meant that he wasn’t the one in control. And that was never a good thing.

It took some effort, but Jasper managed to keep his face blank, void of any emotions. He really didn’t want her to know, how much her emotions and words affected him.

Of course, he was wondering. Who was this stranger? Jasper had no doubt whatsoever that he’d never met this girl in his life. So, how come that she was acting like she knew him? But more importantly, how could she possibly have known he would be here, when he hadn’t planned it in the first place? All good questions indeed, and to be honest, he was itching to get answers. Not to satisfy his curiosity, more for recon. Once a soldier, always a soldier. But Jasper didn’t ask any of them, deciding to play dumb instead.

“I beg your pardon?” He growled, glaring down at the small vampire. True, Jasper didn’t want her to know how uncomfortable her presence made him, but at the same time he wanted to make sure she knew that – unlike her – he was anything but delighted about their meeting.

Apparently this wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. Her face fell ever so slightly.

“Well, like I said, I’ve been waiting for you. You should have been here an hour ago …” She said, trailing off. But unfortunately, she wasn’t the type to give up easily, quickly gaining some of her earlier confidence back. “But never mind that, you are here now, that’s all that matters.”

“Well, that’s real nice.” Jasper scoffed. “But I am not in the mood for company.”

Without another word he pushed past the black-haired vampire and made his way straight over to an empty booth at the back. He could feel her eyes on his back, following him. And of course he could also feel her disappointment and confusion, so strong that he almost regretted his rude behavior. Almost. He squared his shoulders, refusing to be swayed. By giving her the brush-off he hoped she would finally get the message and leave him alone. With a sigh he sat down, facing the entrance out of habit.

The girl still stood there, looking like someone who just got dumped by her lover, and for no good reason. But instead of leaving, she huffed and made her way over to his table. If he wasn’t already irritated to death by her, Jasper might have found her persistence rather amusing, maybe even endearing. But clearly she wasn’t smart enough to take the hint he gave her. He rolled his eyes at her, but she decided to ignore it, determined to follow through with her plan – whatever that was.

She slid in the booth across from him. Before any of them could say anything, the waitress made her appearance at their table.

“What can I get you?”

“Bourbon, straight. No ice.” Jasper said, emphasizing the last two words. He didn’t look up, keeping his eyes on his companion.

“Miss?”

“Nothing for me, thank you.” The small leech said, staring back at him. Her eyes had the strangest color. Instead of deep blood red like his, they were orange. A unique shade indeed, but then again, he’s met vampires before, who had kept their original eye-color after their transition.

The waitress left, only to return with the order a minute later. Jasper was very pleased with the quick service, and the fact that she didn’t linger. Although that had more to do with the tension she could sense.

“Are you really going to drink that?” The strange vampire asked, eyeing the caramel-hued liquid speculatively.

“So what if I do?” Jasper countered. What was she, his mother? He took a mouthful of his drink, enjoying the familiar taste on his tongue. She watched him with interest, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

It was true. Generally vampires couldn’t drink or eat anything except blood. Well, they could ingest everything, but they couldn’t digest it. But high-proof alcohol turned out to be an exception to that rule. And from time to time, Jasper enjoyed a glass of good, old Bourbon. It reminded him of his human days. Of course, it didn’t have the same effect on a vampire, since they couldn’t get drunk, but still.

Jasper set the glass down on the table. “So, since you aren’t going to leave me alone anytime soon, can you at least tell me what you want from me?”

She flinched at his less than polite tone of voice. She took a moment to collect herself, taking in a deep, yet unnecessary breath, before she answered. “Well, okay. My name is Alice Brandon. And I possess a special ability just like you do, Jasper.” She stopped, gauging his reaction. So she knew his name, what else is new? He was pretty well known in the vampire society. Jasper leaned back, signaling her with a flick of his right hand to continue, before crossing his arms. Of course, he was curious about that so-called gift of hers. Who wouldn’t be? And as strange as it might sound, he was actually starting to enjoy this whole thing.

“I knew that you were coming in here tonight, because I saw it. I had a vision of you … well of us actually.” Suddenly she was acting all coy, dropping her gaze for a moment. If it were physically possible, she would be blushing. Jasper has never met a vampire who acted this … human. “You are supposed to come with me … in my vision we joining a coven … and we are happy. We are going to survive on animals and you won’t have to feed on humans anymore …”

“Hold it right there, missy. Can you repeat the last thing? I think I didn’t quite catch that.” Jasper mocked. Of course he’d heard her just fine. He was a vampire after all. But was she serious?

“Why are you so mean? What is wrong with you?” Alice cried, a little too loud. He didn’t need to take a look around for confirmation, knowing that they were starting to draw attention to themselves. He didn’t like it, not one bit. But he did like her aggravating behavior even less.

“What is wrong with me? Are you serious? You came on to me, telling me some tall tell … and you actually have the audacity to believe that I would trust you, and go with you, just like that, just because you tell me you saw it happen. You must be delusional to think I would actually do that.” Jasper shook my head in exasperation. His earlier amusement was completely gone.

“I just want to help you …”

“But I don’t want your help.” Jasper growled, slowly but surely losing his patience. “Nor do I need help.”

“But it will be for the best …”

Jasper slapped his hand on the table, cutting her off mid-sentence. He had enough of this farce. Who did she think she was? Mother Teresa? He leaned across the table, speaking only loud enough for her to hear. “Listen, little one, and listen carefully because I hate to repeat myself. I have no desire whatsoever to go with you and join some stupid coven. And as long as there are humans to feed on, I won’t think twice about changing my diet.

“And as for you and me,” He gestured between them, “That will never happen. You are simply not my type, got it?”

Alice visibly recoiled, like she just got slapped. And in truth, he wasn’t very far from doing the exact same thing. She was pissing him off with her Good Samaritan act. She might believe that she was really going to help him. But Jasper saw it differently. He’d just managed to escape the claws of one manipulative bitch and had no desire whatsoever to replace her with another one. And at that precise moment that’s all he saw in the little vampire who sat across from him.

Thankfully, his own feelings were stronger at the moment. That way he couldn’t be persuaded by her emotions, but this also meant that he was very close to losing his control. And that would be bad – for her and everyone else in the room. He had no qualms about beheading the little menace, but the humans were innocent bystanders. If he would act on his instinct, they would become collateral damage. And he was trying very hard to keep the number of his killings to a minimum. Understandable, after what he’s been through.

Jasper pulled a bill out of his wallet and placed it on the table. Then he stood up. “I’m leaving. If you are smart, you will not try to follow me. You seem to know enough about me, so you know what I am capable of when I’m angry.” He warned her. And for good measure he also used his gift to convey his message. She visibly shuddered. Just the response, he was looking for.

Without another word, Jasper left the diner. He didn’t glance back, but he could hear her silent sobs of grief on his way out. He didn’t care one bit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

Jasper grinned, thinking back to the day he told Peter about his bizarre encounter with the tiny vampire … which actually had been only a few days after the incident. He hadn’t planned to visit his friends at the time, but since Maine was just a short trip away from Philadelphia, and he’d had nothing else to do, the decision had been an easy one.

They had been laughing their asses off for days. Sure, Charlotte had been amused as well, but she still couldn’t stop herself to give Jasper good scolding about the way he’d let down Alice. He was just grateful that she had done it in private. Knowing Peter, the teasing would have never ended. But then again, he was hardly the one to talk, since he was completely whipped by his wife. Jasper knew his friend would deny it, but it was obvious who had the pants on in their relationship, figuratively speaking.

A small, very small part of Jasper felt guilty. After all, his mother had raised him better. And Charlotte took every chance to remind him of that fact. She was convinced that even though they were vampires, living of humans, they could at least try to do better … especially after their horrendous past.

And maybe she was right. He could have handled the situation with far more finesse. But Alice’s high-handed behavior had made it very difficult for him, almost pushing him over the edge. Maybe he would have reacted differently if she’d taken a different approach. But still, there was no doubt in his mind. He still would have declined her gracious offer.

Out of sheer curiosity Peter and Jasper had tried out deer once, but they’d both agreed to never repeat that experiment. Animal blood might be a reasonable substitute for some, but certainly not for them. For one, the taste was barely tolerable, downright disgusting in fact. And it didn’t quite quench the thirst, only dulled it. It would take an entire herd to make up for the blood of one human. And neither Jasper nor Peter could see the point in decimating innocent wildlife when there were humans out there who deserved to die. But more importantly, completely abstaining from their natural food source wasn’t a good idea, even for someone like Jasper who had years and years of experience. Controlling the bloodlust was still – and always would be – a daily struggle for him.

Jasper shook his head and walked through the door. Surprisingly, the diner was more occupied than he would have expected, considering the hour and the remote location. He took a seat at the bar, far enough away from the other patrons. He wasn’t hungry at the moment, but he knew better than to tempt fate. He already took chances by being here in the first place.

“What can I get you?” The middle-aged barmaid asked. She was clearly tired, and a little annoyed.

Jasper didn’t care, just pointing at the shelf behind her. “Just give me that and an empty glass.”

She frowned at first, but complied as soon as he put a bill on the counter, more than enough to cover the charge. She simply shrugged, taking the money and placing the bottle and a glass in front of Jasper. Then she went back to her former task, cleaning glasses, paying Jasper no more attention. Something he was very glad about.

Since he had nothing else to do – and because the soldier in him commended it – Jasper scanned the room. There were two truckers sitting in one corner, playing cards and drinking beer. Another one was sitting by himself, enjoying his evening meal. A couple, in desperate need to get a room sooner rather than later, were busy kissing, licking and groping each other. Jasper tried his best to ignore their heavy state of arousal, hoping that they would soon decide to relocate their make-out session elsewhere. In the farthest corner sat a young woman with long, dark hair, reading a book. She was drinking something hot, coffee perhaps, maybe tea, it was hard to tell.

Almost like she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up and their eyes met across the room. The connection didn’t last long though. A second, or two perhaps, before she diverted her eyes back to the book in her hands. That wasn’t the kind of reaction Jasper was used to. Generally, women would keep staring at him, flirting like mad in the hopes to get a chance with him, not knowing that they were better off, when he ignored them or blew them off.

Sure, a part of Jasper was glad, because he wasn’t in the mood to deal with any kind of advances. But mostly he was confused. She was … odd. Jasper could have sworn that he saw a flicker of recognition in her beautiful deep brown eyes. He knew for certain that he’d never met this girl in his life. Did she know what he was? And if she did, why wasn’t she out of here the minute she saw him? Humans normally had a healthy sense of self-preservation, once they realized he was anything but human. But maybe she didn’t know. Maybe he just wasn’t her type.

But more importantly … why do I care at all? Jasper thought.

He didn’t know why, but somehow he couldn’t take his eyes of her. Maybe it was her reaction, or just her, but something about her had caught his full attention. Sipping his drink, he kept on studying her. From the looks of her he estimated that she was probably around nineteen or twenty years old, so around his age when he was changed. The clothes she wore didn’t give much away, simple blue jeans and a sweater, nothing special. She was pale, very pale, which Jasper thought was quite unusual for this area, but maybe she wasn’t from around here, just passing through like him. She didn’t seem to be sick though.

Again … why do you care?

Somehow she must have sensed his lingering gaze. She didn’t look up again, keeping her eyes lowered, but he could tell from her posture that she was starting to get uncomfortable. And then suddenly, she was blushing furiously. Jasper groaned at the sight, gulping down the entire content of his glass. The taste of the alcohol helped a little to get his mind off the thought of tasting her blood. He wasn’t thirsty, but she was still tantalizing him.

Come and have a taste …

Abruptly she closed her book, and hastily placed some coins on the table to pay for her beverage. In the next moment she was out of her seat and practically fled the premise. Still, Jasper caught a whiff of her scent on her way out. She smelled like nothing he’d ever encountered before. But it wasn’t just her blood that called to him. It seemed to be her.

How strange …

Jasper stared after her through the windows, watching as she entered one of the rooms of the motel. He was itching to go after her, but he remained in his seat, clinging to his glass. It was a miracle that it didn’t shatter.

There were only two options. He could remain where he was, sitting here at the bar until morning, waiting for his car to get fixed and then leave. No harm, no foul. Or he could go after her. He was pretty sure she was on her own. And since none of the other patrons had paid any attention to her and her abrupt departure, or to him, it would be easy for him to slip out and follow her, totally unnoticed.

And he wanted to, more than he was willing to admit. Jasper wanted to have her … one way or another. And apparently his body was quicker in making a decision as his mind. Before he knew it, he was out of his seat and through the door. He walked over to the girl’s motel room, struggling to keep a human pace. Not that it was necessary, because there wasn’t anyone out here, just a few stay dogs. It was too dark anyway for the humans to see him, even from inside the diner.

When Jasper reached the door, he tried the doorknob first. To his surprise but utter delight it wasn’t locked. She made it far too easy for him, almost like she was inviting him. He slipped into the room, closing the door behind him without making any noise whatsoever. He already knew that she wasn’t in the room. He’d heard water running from outside. Quite obviously she was using the bathroom.

Jasper moved stealthily not wanting to alert her to his presence. The door to the small bathroom stood slightly ajar. He was able to see her, standing in front of the sink, brushing her teeth. He was quite impressed that she’d managed to change her outfit given the short amount of time she’d had between her exit and his decision to follow her. She was wearing some loose sweatpants and short sleeved t-shirt now, apparently her chosen attire for the night. He liked it. It looked very comfy, and even though the clothes weren’t form-fitting, he could see that she was slim, but very fit.

The girl leaned over the sink, rinsing her mouth. Jasper saw a chance and took it, moving inside the bathroom. He stopped right behind her, itching to touch her, but restraining himself … just barely. When she straightened up, their eyes met in the mirror above the sink. Jasper reacted fast, clapping his hand over her mouth in order to prevent her from screaming and alerting someone. Her eyes went wide, and her breath hitched, but she didn’t make a sound. Once again Jasper was stunned. Why didn’t she fight? Why didn’t she scream?

Jasper didn’t know why he hadn’t noticed it before, but suddenly he realized that he wasn’t able to get a read on her emotions … at all. Nothing but static. He was thrown, to say the least, but also relieved. Experiencing his prey’s dread, their fear and trepidation was disturbing, sometimes taking the fun out of feeding all together, but also understandable. But this human, this strange girl, didn’t show any of those signs. But then again, his special gift wasn’t necessary. One look into her brown, bottomless eyes and he knew everything he needed to know. She knew what he was, and she wasn’t afraid. More than that, she knew what was going to happen. She was prepared, completely accepting her fate.

Her eyes never left mine. She pulled her long hair out of the way, exposing her throat to me.

“Do it!” She said, tilting her head.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

Jasper was taken aback by the calmness and acceptance in her voice.

But the brief feeling of shock was quickly overwritten by his natural, stronger impulse to sink his teeth into her skin. Right this moment he didn’t care if she knew what he was, because in the couple of minutes it would take him to drain her small, frail body of its life-force, all of this … the worry, the doubt and the curiosity he felt … all of it wouldn’t matter anymore, because by then she would be dead. He would dump her lifeless body somewhere in the desert … or he would just leave it here. He knew from hearing it on the news on TV or reading it in the paper that it wasn’t a rare occurrence to find a dead body in a motel room like this one.

Jasper could see in the mirror that she had closed her eyes, waiting for him to act, to comply with her demand. Her demand … Oddly, both her breathing and her heartbeat were only slightly erratic. Jasper didn’t sense any real fear, just anticipation, but he could be wrong about that since her emotions were still a mystery to him. He gently pulled her closer, moving his right arm around her waist, and the left one around her shoulders to grab her chin, tilting her head to the right. She was so warm and soft. The girl was trapped, unable to move, but she didn’t seem to mind … at all. She sighed in what sounded almost like relief, and actually leaned into his chest. What an odd reaction on her part.

Without any further delay, Jasper sank his teeth into her neck. It was like cutting hot butter with a knife, smooth and easy. Nothing new or out of the ordinary, Jasper has done this countless times. As far as he was concerned this was just another nameless victim, serving its sole purpose to quench his thirst.

Jasper kept his eyes fixed on the mirror as he began to drink, moaning at the erotic sight. An outsider might have mistaken them for lovers.

Suddenly he realized that she wasn’t like anything he has ever experienced before. She was so much more than just a quick snack.

Not only was she the first human ever who offered herself to him freely and willingly, but the taste of her blood was something else altogether. When the first drop of the human girl’s blood had passed his lips, Jasper knew she was special in more ways than one. Her blood was rich and delicious, something he hadn’t expected after smelling her. Her scent was nice, but the taste of her blood was simply intoxicating, and very exciting. Jasper felt himself getting more aroused than usual.

He couldn’t get enough. He wanted to take his time, already mourning the imminent loss of this treasure. Jasper knew he wouldn’t be able to prolong this pleasure forever, even if he wanted to.

Then without any warning, he was assaulted by tidal waves of her emotions she had been suppressing up until then. The most prominent ones were sorrow, pain and guilt. The strength of these feelings knocked him to the ground, literally, forcing Jasper to take the girl with him. He withdrew his teeth, throwing his head back, howled in pain.

What the hell?

Jasper was breathing hard, even though he was in no need of oxygen. He wasn’t sure if it was just the shock that caused him to stop drinking or if it was something else. Of course, he wanted to blame her emotions, but deep down he knew that they weren’t only the reason. Sure, he has never come across a human whose feelings were as strong and pure as hers, but she was still just a human.

And then, just as quickly as it had started, the assault was over.

Thank God!

The girl didn’t make a sound, simply slumping against Jasper’s chest. She had lost consciousness, which was probably why he couldn’t sense her anymore. But who knew how her ability to block him worked?

‘Why did you stop? Finish her!’ The monster in him growled.

‘Arghhh just shut up!’ The rational, weaker part of Jasper argued. He was still shaken, and confused. ‘If we stop now, there will be a chance to have another taste at a later time …’

‘Good point!’ The demon agreed, retreating once again, silenced for the moment.

Jasper leaned back in, carefully, almost tenderly tracing his tongue over his bite mark on her neck. He only used a small amount of his venom to close the wound. Too much of it and it would kill her or change her and Jasper had no intention to do either. He licked away the residual blood, because it was simply too good to let it go to waste.

Jasper sighed, holding the lifeless body in his arms. He was still slightly distraught, not sure about his next steps. To his utter relief, his animalistic cry hadn’t alerted any humans, so for now at least he was safe. And weirdly enough so was she.

But not wanting to take any risks, Jasper swiftly swept the unconscious girl up into his arms, walking back into the other room. There he laid her on the bed, pulling the comforter around her body. Her body temperature had dropped considerably due to the blood loss. She was shivering, but thankfully not slightly.

From the looks of it, the sheets and the comforter hadn’t seen a thorough cleansing for quite some time. To a human eye they seemed to be clean, but Jasper knew better. Once again, he was glad that he wasn’t in need of sleep. But even if he were, he would have enough money to spend his nights in better accommodations than this one. The room reeked of human sweat, and sex. Jasper doubted that the girl had been responsible for either one of those scents. From what he could tell, she’d spent hardly any time in here at all. And who would like being in here anyway? This room was depressing at best.

‘So what is she doing here? Looking for an easy way out? She doesn’t seem to be the type … but on the other hand it would explain her easy surrender …’ Jasper mused. ‘But the real question is. Why do I care? She means nothing to me …’

Jasper huffed in frustration, taking a few steps away from the bed. He didn’t know why but somehow he felt the need to put some distance between her and himself. It was almost like her presence was clouding his judgment. And he needed to think clearly.

It was still easy from where he stood to check her physical condition. Her heartbeat was weak but steady, so was her breathing. Strangely, he felt relieved, almost happy. Jasper quickly pushed those feelings aside, before they could corrupt him, anxious to finish his examination.

‘Why do you care?’ The little voice in the back of his mind asked again, but he ignored it.

The scar on her neck was barely noticeable to a human eye, since her skin was already very pale to begin with. Jasper reckoned that she would be fine, just sleeping for a day or two to regain her strength, replenishing her stolen life source. He could see to it that nobody would disturb her while she rested. He could pay the charge for the room for the next few days or so, and hang out the do-not-disturb sign. He was pretty sure that no one would suspect anything amiss, because in places like these no one really cared as long as the bill was settled on time.

‘But you do!’ That obnoxious, incessant voice pointed out, taunting him.

Jasper didn’t care.

‘Okay maybe I do, but just a little.’ He allowed, although very reluctantly. As a vampire, Jasper has never really had cause to embrace such … human … emotions. He wasn’t used to take responsibility for anyone but himself. But here he was, worrying about a strange, human girl’s wellbeing, only shortly after he attacked her. Jasper clenched his teeth. Yes, he might be able to admit that much, but he refused to believe it was more than simple concern. And why would it be anything more? He didn’t know her. She meant nothing to him.

Jasper groaned again, slumping into the chair next to the window. The curtains were drawn shut. Nobody was able to see him. He sat like a frozen statue, watching the human girl sleep, while his mind was busy making plans what to do next.

Jasper was torn.

There were two … no actually three options.

One – he could just leave the room. Now that he’d made sure that the girl was okay-ish, it would be the perfect time for him to leave … the room and the girl. He could wait for his car being fixed somewhere else, outside or in the diner … anywhere else but here, avoiding the temptation that was her, and her blood. By this time tomorrow, he would be miles away, leaving the memory of her extraordinary taste behind. Sure he would never be able to forget it, or her, but at least she would be alive. He didn’t owe her that, far from it, since she had been the one asking him to bite her. But it would ease his mind. And on top of that, allowing her to live implied the slight chance of running into her once more.

Two – he could stay and wait for her to wake up, making her answer all of his questions. And there were many. How did she know what he was? Why did she want him to kill her? Or did she want him to turn her? What was she doing here, in the middle of nowhere? What was her name? How did she manage to block his gift? The list went on and on.

The third option wasn’t really an option for Jasper to consider. Of course, he could still finish the job. He could simply kill her, and thereby erase all of his qualms, and the danger her knowledge about him and his kind entailed. Two birds, one stone …

But he couldn’t do it, more importantly he didn’t want to. Jasper had enjoyed the taste of her blood too much, and secretly he was hoping for another taste at some point, which meant killing her was out of the question. At least for now.

So that left only option one and two. Leaving or staying? A tough choice to make.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear things up: ‘…’ stands for thoughts, “…” for verbal speech.

Chapter 5

 

There was no use to deny the truth any longer. Jasper didn’t need more time to ponder over his choices, because he’d already decided. If he really wanted to leave he would be gone by now. But he was still here, still sitting in the chair, completely immobile.

The only question left was why? Why wasn’t he able to leave this room?

Jasper knew it wasn’t just the taste of her delicious blood and his deep desire to have another sip that kept him here. Neither was the total void of her emotions, in her sleeping as well as her conscious state. It was definitely both astonishing and refreshing, since he’s never met anyone who was able to block his gift so completely. Occasionally, Peter was able to keep his emotions hidden from him, but it demanded a lot of strength and resolve on his part to manage it, and to this day he has never been successful on a long term basis. This girl on the other hand seemed to do it naturally. Clearly she knew what he was, but there was no way she could know about his special talent.

Whatever … they both were strong motives for sure, but yet not the most pressing ones at the moment.

Jasper still had to wait out the next six to eight hours somewhere anyways, for his car to get fixed. Part of him tried to use that fact as a viable excuse. But that’s just what it was, an excuse, and a lousy one at that.

By now there was no doubt in his mind left. It was her. She intrigued him on a whole new level. There were simply too many unknowns, too many unanswered questions, and he really wanted to unravel this mystery. Part of the reason why Jasper was constantly on the move was that he got easily bored. He loved nothing more than a good challenge. And let’s face it after he left Maria he hadn’t had many of those. Not that he wanted to go back to the hell hole. But at least back then he had a purpose.

But what did life offer him now? There wasn’t really something that made his existence worth living. In truth, Jasper was only existing not living at all. He had nothing to fight for, no one to care for … nothing.

‘Stop whining.’ The monster growled in annoyance. ‘You are embarrassing yourself … and me by extension.’

It was right … sort of. After all, Jasper was a fucking vampire for crying out load. He wasn’t human anymore. He didn’t need a family. He had two good friends to count on when necessary. He didn’t have to worry about money or health problems. All things considered, he should be happy.

But Jasper couldn’t deny the fact that he wasn’t. It wasn’t easy to admit this, if only to himself, but sometimes he felt a little lonely, like something vital was missing. He knew his life wasn’t complete, it was downright tedious. This weird feeling of emptiness has been getting stronger over the last two decades or so. He’d tried to ignore it, to sweep it under the rug, but to tell the truth it was starting to get to him.

So maybe, she was exactly what he needed. A new challenge. A mystery to solve. A change.

‘And don’t forget her blood.’ The demon remarked. Jasper could tell it was still slightly miffed that he’d stopped earlier. As always he did his best to pay him no more attention than necessary.

It was safe to say that there was no going back for him now. His mind was made up. He would not leave her here, not without getting at least some answers. How did she know what he was? Why wasn’t she scared? Why did she allow him to bite her? Did she want to die? If so, then why?

But there was something else. In addition to his strong desire for answers, there was a pull, Jasper has never felt before. He certainly didn’t seem to be able to take his eyes off her.

She looked sort of peaceful, lying there under the comforter, her dark, long hair billowing around her face. It felt like he was under her spell or something. Without thinking twice Jasper left his seat and moved towards the bed, kneeling beside it. He didn’t seem to be able to fight the urge to touch her. His fingertips ghosted over her cheek. Her skin was hot, scorching even, almost like she had a fever. Maybe it was her body’s natural reaction to compensate for the loss of her blood. What did he know? He didn’t have any reference points concerning this subject. She was the first one he’d kept alive.

‘And hopefully the last one, too.’ The demon added, in a curt tone. He was unusually calm considering the circumstances … being denied to finish his meal earlier and all that. All of the sudden he was sort of mollified, feeling almost satisfied even. Jasper wondered what had brought this on, but for the moment he decided to give it no further thought, just taking comfort in the fact that the demon was content.

Jasper reached out again, gently tucking a stray hair out of her face. She wasn’t unattractive, far from it. For a human she was quite gorgeous, a natural beauty some might say. She smelled nice, too. Her scent was sweet, fruity, making his mouth water for a complete other reason than thirst. Jasper leaned in, burying his nose in her neck, inhaling deeply. An involuntary groan escaped his throat.

Her blood had the finest taste, but strangely he couldn’t smell it on her. The scent of her blood seemed sort of masked. How odd. Sure in his hundred plus years Jasper has heard of singers before, but never of a human whose blood didn’t call to a vampire at all. But maybe she had some reverse-singer effect on him.

In the end it didn’t matter, because Jasper did already know how delicious her blood tasted and he would never forget that. And he could hear it pumping through her veins, slowly but steadily. He was already close enough. He could finish her, here and now. It wouldn’t even take two minutes to drain her, and to be done with it. All of it. The speculation, the uncertainty, the temptation … all would be gone, and he could be on his merry way.

But Jasper couldn’t. Something seemed to hold him back, preventing him to go through with this plan.

What was wrong with him? She was just a human … strange and intriguing and beautiful … but still just a human.

Suddenly Jasper felt the need to put some distance between him and her, before he did something he was quite certain he would regret later. This whole thing was starting to freak him out. Why did he feel this way about this strange human girl? He didn’t even know her. She meant nothing to him, but still, in this moment one thing was crystal clear to Jasper. He was incapable of harming her in any way. But why?

Jasper retook his seat at the other end of the small room. This wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be feeling this way. Lusting after a human was one thing, but caring about one was another thing all together. He’s had sex with humans countless times … right before he’d killed them. It had never been more than a means to an end, a quick and easy way to find a release, always short-lived, but still satisfying enough. But this felt different.

Pictures popped into his mind, vivid ones of him bending the brunette girl over the counter in the bathroom, pounding into her fast and hard, over and over again, until she screamed his name at the top of her lungs, shuddering as her climax rolled through her. Jasper felt himself harden.

‘That’s enough!’ He reprimanded himself, shaking his head vehemently, in a useless attempt to rid himself of all the naughty ideas that came to his mind. And given his experience on that matter, his imagination had no boundaries. There was practically nothing he hasn’t seen or done. And right now Jasper wanted to try it all with her.

He needed a distraction, a mission. Since he wasn’t going to change his mind, and he wasn’t going to leave her, he was going to find out what he could without her help.

There was a well-used back bag on the floor beside her bed, but no other luggage. Jasper snatched it, and emptied its contents on the floor. He quickly sorted through the items he found: a second pair of jeans, a couple of shirts, underwear, socks, and two books, but nothing else. This girl was definitely traveling light, unless the rest of her stuff was still in her car, but somehow he doubted that.

Jasper went to retrieve her jacket from the coat rack by the door. He only found her wallet in the pocket, but no car keys. Well that answered one question. Obviously she was hitchhiking. Not unusual, but certainly not the safest way to travel for a young woman. He opened her wallet. There was no ID, only a couple of bills, not more than two hundred bucks total. No credit card.

She couldn’t get very far with that laughable amount of money. And how in the hell did she get by without an ID? Did she lose it?

“Well, that was a waste of time.” He grumbled, stuffing her clothes back into the bag back. He certainly didn’t get a lot of answers, if any at all. He wasn’t even successful in finding out her name.

Jasper picked up her books and slumped back into the seat. Jane Austin … not his choice of reading material, but it would help him to kill some time.

 

\+ + +

 

The sun came up around six thirty. Jasper still sat in the chair. He had read both of the books twice over, but it had taken him only an hour to do so. The rest of the night he’d spent watching the sleeping girl. 

He hadn’t moved an inch, keeping a safe distance, successfully resisting the temptation to touch her, but only just. She hadn’t regained consciousness, but he hadn’t expected her to wake up yet. After all, he had taken quite a lot of her blood, and he knew it would take her a while to replenish the loss. But her vital signs were stable, and she seemed to be getting stronger with each passing hour. Oddly that fact made him feel a lot better. Was he really that worried about her wellbeing? It appeared that way.

Around eight, someone knocked at the door, in a less than gentle way. Jasper got up, and opened the door, careful to stay hidden in the shadows.

A boy of no more than seventeen years stood on the porch. Jasper’s presence obviously startled him. “Oh … ehm … the rental fee is up, if you want to stay for another day.” He managed to get out. Mostly, he was confused, probably expecting the girl to answer the door. But Jasper could also sense a little fear coming from the boy. Not a surprising reaction for a human. A normal human …

Jasper knew it was important to keep up appearances, so he huffed in exasperation and pulled a bill out of his wallet. “I think that should cover it.” The boy gaped at him, but accepted the one hundred dollar bill eagerly. “And do me a favor. I left my car over at the gas station to get fixed. Let me know when it’s finished.”

“Will do, Sir.” The boy agreed enthusiastically, greed radiating of him. Clearly, he was hoping for some sort of extra reward for his efforts. ‘Well as long as he keeps his mouth shut and leaves.’

“That will be all. Now get lost, I’m busy.” Jasper grumbled, slamming the door shut. Through the door he could hear the boy cursing under his breath. Jasper chuckled, but inwardly he was glad that the boy hadn’t asked any unpleasant questions about his presence in the room. Playing ignorant had probably saved his life.

The boy came back at two in the afternoon. Conveniently, he had parked the car right in front of the room. Jasper gave him another twenty, thanking him for his service. He had definitely earned it at this point, considering all things.

Ten minutes later Jasper was ready and more than eager to leave this place. He made sure that no one was around when he left the room with the girl in his arms. He gently placed her on the passenger seat and strapped her in. No need to get pulled over for violating traffic law. He threw her bag on the backseat, and a second later he was behind the wheel, starting the engine.

Jasper knew exactly where he was heading. He was going to seek out the only person who might actually be able to help him figure this shit out.

Peter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 

Jasper made it to Colorado, Peter’s and Charlotte’s current choice of residence, in record time. It only took him a little over 36 hours to get there. In order to be able to drive at high speed, he had been avoiding the major roads. And he had been fortunate. No cop had stopped him, and his car hadn’t broken down again. That and the sole need to stop to get gas, made it possible to arrive at their house before his passenger had awoken from her unconscious state.

The girl didn’t make a move or even a sound the entire trip. Jasper had to actually glance at her from time to time, since her emotions didn’t give anything away. From what he could tell she was indeed sleeping now. Her heartbeat was stronger too, almost back to normal, which meant that she was making good progress in her recovery. 

For a moment there Jasper wondered if she was comfortable, in this awkward half sitting, half lying position. Pushing the seat as far back as possible was the only thing he could do for her at the moment. Come to think of it, although it was probably the nicest thing he’s ever done for anyone.

Jasper didn’t know what he would have done, if the girl had awoken prematurely. Since his power didn’t seem to work on her, he would have no means to keep her calm, well other than to knock her out, physically. Oddly enough, that idea made his gut twist and turn.

‘Here we go again with the awkward, touchy feelings …’ Jasper moaned. He could hardly wait to get to Peter. Not to get rid of her, but to find some much needed answers. Peter might not possess any supernatural ability, except for the standard ones, but he always seemed to know what to do.

 

\+ + + + +

 

As always Jasper’s friends had taken residence far away from any human population, deep in the woods. This time it was at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. True, just like him they fed of humans, but they never hunted close to where they were living. It was a necessary precaution. Though Jasper couldn’t relate to due to his unwillingness to settle down permanently, or temporarily even, he did understand the reason. They needed to be careful with everything, not to raise any kind of suspicion, which was why Peter and Charlotte constantly changed their hunting ground.

Even though it was located far away from any human population, the house was fairly easy to reach by car, which was certainly a plus this time. Jasper really had no intention to carry the girl, especially since touching her had such a strange effect on him.

He pulled up in front of the house and shut down the engine. The house was two stores high, and in his opinion definitely too big for just two people. Who did need so much space? Especially a vampire, who was neither in need for sleep or in need for a place to cook, which made at least two rooms obsolete … but besides that, he actually liked what he saw.

The house was entirely made of wood, which was probably why he liked it so much. It reminded Jasper of his human days and despite its size it had a homey feel. He could actually see himself, getting comfortable here … if only for the duration of his presumably short stay.

Jasper could sense that both Peter and Charlotte were home. And not a second after he climbed out of the car, Peter was by his side.

“Hey, Major! We didn’t know you were coming. To what do we owe this pleasant surprise?” He greeted Jasper with this trademark grin.

“I thought I’d come visit you guys early this year.” Jasper replied, nonchalantly. “I hope I don’t come at a bad time.” He added in a playful tone, earning him a wholehearted laugh from his friend.

“Well not this time. But you know you are always welcome here.” He said, his eyes drifting from Jasper to the sleeping girl on the passenger seat. “Who’s your friend?”

Jasper didn’t get the chance to answer the question or explain the situation. Peter’s mood suddenly changed 180, from playful to full-blown angry. His eyes were fixed on the girl’s exposed neck, on the scar Jasper had left there. His back tensed and he let out a low, menacing growl. Jasper knew he was in trouble. But he had no idea what for. He couldn’t imagine it was because he brought a human with him. Despite the fact that they all used to dine on human blood, they weren’t ruled by bloodlust. As long as they fed regularly, their self-control was just fine. And going by the bright red color of Peter’s eyes, he’d fed recently. So where was the problem?

Jasper tried to get his friend’s attention with a fake cough, but Peter just spared him one meaningful look, telling him to shut the hell up. Under different circumstances Jasper wouldn’t have followed his silent demand. But this was his turf, his home, and he was only a guest. And therefore Jasper had to follow his rules.

Charlotte chose this exact moment to make her appearance in the yard. “Hey, Jasper, welcome to our home.” She greeted the blonde enthusiastically. Apparently she hadn’t sensed anything amiss yet.

Peter turned around, facing his wife. “Char, sweetheart, please take Jasper’s friend upstairs and make sure she is comfortable. I’ll be right there. I just need to have a word with the Major … in private.” His voice was cold, almost detached, but otherwise he kept his emotions mostly in check, clearly not wanting to upset his mate.

Charlotte finally caught on. How could she not? The air was practically sizzling with tension. Jasper could both feel and see her confusion, but also her resolve to carry out Peter’s order without any hesitation. She didn’t respond with words, only with her actions. She moved quickly to the passenger side of the car, opening the door and pulling the sleeping human into her arms. The girl didn’t budge, still completely out of it, which was probably a good thing under the circumstances. Charlotte gave Jasper one last fleeting, inquisitive look, before he watched her flitting back into the house, cradling the girl in her arms, almost protectively. It looked kind of funny, since Char was slightly smaller than the girl, but he didn’t dare to laugh. The way Peter was right now, all tense and angry, Jasper was sure that such a reaction would have an adverse effect. Instead of lightening the mood it would only antagonize him further. And Jasper certainly didn’t want to make things worse than there already were.

“Come with me.” Peter ordered quietly, far too calmly for Jasper’s liking. Something was up, he just didn’t know what. Peter turned his back on Jasper, making his way into the surrounding woods. He had managed to clamp down his feelings again, like so many times before. But Jasper knew that this time he hadn’t done so to spare him, quite the contrary. This was not a favor, but a strategy. Peter was hiding his true intention from him. Sure, Jasper could tell from the tension in his back, that he was pissed. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to stay on guard, to be prepared for a fight, but this was his best friend, his brother. It was hard to think of him as an enemy. The knowledge that he was more skilled than Peter, when it came to man on man combat, gave Jasper a certain sense of security, maybe a false one, but still.

Peter walked deep into the woods, and Jasper followed him wordlessly. It was obvious by now that Peter really wanted to talk to him without being overheard by his mate. He just couldn’t imagine why. Peter came to a sudden halt in a small clearing, but didn’t turn around to face him. Jasper could hear him breathing hard, like he was trying very hard to calm himself. What the fuck was wrong with him?

Jasper left a few feet distance between them, just in case, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn’t take the suspense any longer. “Look, Peter, if it is a problem for you and Char, I’ll just leave and take the girl with me …”

Apparently that was the absolute wrong thing for him to say. Without any warning Peter whipped around, grabbing Jasper’s right upper arm in a tight grip and hurling him through the air. Jasper impacted with a nearby tree, almost uprooting it. Because the attack had taken him by surprise, Jasper didn’t even manage to land on his feet. Instead he landed flat on his stomach. A second later Peter was on his back, pinning Jasper securely to the ground, using his entire body weight and strength to keep his friend there.

“You will do no such thing.” He growled into his ear, venom dripping from his mouth, barely missing his skin.

Jasper finally had enough. Using all his expertise to free himself, he tossed and turned, and finally he succeeded. With a skillful move he managed to get a hold of one of Peter’s arms, using all his strength to throw him of over my shoulder. He landed a few feet away. Peter was one of the strongest vampires he knew, but he was no match for him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jasper snarled, crouching, ready to attack him. He got up, but he showed no indication to attack again.

“What’s wrong with YOU?” He shot back, shaking with anger. Jasper was tempted to subdue Peter with his gift, but he held back, knowing the risks. He knew there was a good chance that a move like that could easily backfire on him, especially when both he and Peter were like that … on edge. And besides, even though it seemed impossible now Jasper was fairly certain that Peter would calm down eventually on his own. He just needed to get it all out.

“Since when do you keep a pet? And what the hell were you thinking bringing her here? Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what that hell-bitch had done to my mate?”

Jasper recoiled, leaving his defensive crouch at once and slumping against a nearby tree trunk. He stared at Peter’s face, contorted in a mixture of anger and anguish. The gates were fully open now. He could feel everything. His friend’s rage, his disappointment and grief, all coupled with his own feelings of guilt and shame … so intense that he would have crumbled if he hadn’t been already on the ground.

How could he have been so thoughtless?

Of course, Jasper knew to whom Peter was referring to by hell-bitch. His creator, Maria. And he hasn’t forgotten a single thing. As a vampire he didn’t have the luxury to forget anything. If a vampire was lucky he could manage to suppress the most unpleasant memories ... but only until a word, a sound or even a whiff would trigger them. Just like now, all the memories of a still human Charlotte being tortured by his creator came rushing back.

Maria was without a doubt the most sadistic vampire Jasper knew. Instead of just draining or turning them, she had fed on humans over and over again, using them as refillable blood bags. Biting a human didn’t always result in turning them, only the insertion of their venom into their bloodstream would accomplish the task. It was mostly a choice, a kind of conscious act actually … but only for an older, more practiced vampire. The younger ones usually had no need for such a skill anyway, since they were driven solely by their bloodlust, hence their nonexistence of self-control over the production and usage of their venom.

Maria had taken great pleasure causing humans – or anyone for that matter - pain. She had tried to persuade Jasper to take a human pet as well, but somehow he’d managed to convince her that he wasn’t strong enough to withstand the temptation their blood represented. She’d believed him, or maybe she’d just realized that she couldn’t force him to do it, which was why she’d given it up so easily.

Charlotte had endured this procedure of being repeatedly fed upon for almost half a year, longer than any other human in their camp. Unsurprisingly, she had been the only one to survive this torture, well more or less. In the end, she had been rewarded (Maria’s choice of word not Jasper’s).

Rarely ever doing the deed herself, Maria had ordered Jasper to turn her. For a moment he’d actually considered disobeying and just giving her the only true reward – death. But Charlotte’s feelings of pure gratitude and longing had caused him to change his mind, and he’d given her what she’d apparently desired – immortality and a chance. A chance at life and true love.

Back then Jasper hadn’t known that Peter had already fallen in love with her, and Char with him. Sure, he’d known that Peter had been the one to take care of her, see to her human needs, like getting her food and tending to her wounds, but nothing more. They’d only managed to keep their true feelings hidden from Jasper, because he’d never seen them together. They both had been very careful, knowing that the discovery of their relationship would have meant the death for both of them.

But Peter has always been very cunning, which was the main reason why he and his mate had managed to escape a year later. Jasper had done the rest. He’d owed them that much. And given the circumstances, it had been the least he could do to atone for his sins. And five years later they had repaid the favor, by coming back for him. And the rest was history, as they say.

Char had told him once that it had been Peter’s love and strength that had kept her fighting for survival in the first place. In that they were the same, natural born fighters. Even a blind could see that they were meant to be together … for better or for worse.

Shaking off the images of the past, Jasper finally found his voice again. “I’m sorry, Peter, I didn’t think how it might look.” He said, using his gift to convey the sincerity of his apology. Peter lowered himself to the ground, his eyes fixed on Jasper, but he remained silent. With a wave of his hand he indicated for Jasper to continue, who was glad that his friend was willing to hear him out.

“She is not my pet. You know very well, that I’ve never agreed with Maria’s measures, any of them. We are vampires, predators by nature, yes, but you’ve taught me that we don’t need to be monsters. And I still believe that. And live by it.” Jasper vowed, amending, “Well … mostly.”

“But you fed off her.” It was a statement not a question.

“Yes, I did.” Jasper confirmed. After seeing the evidence, there was no point denying it. And anyway, Jasper had come here to seek Peter’s help. He knew the only way to get it was laying it all out in the open. And if he had to give up his plans to feed on the girl again, he would do that too. Well, at least not without her permission.

‘Fat chance she is going to give you that …’ His demon mocked, sounding weak though. Jasper was surprised. It seemed to be somehow … appeased. How odd! But mainly he was glad, because dealing with one opponent was all he could handle at the moment. So he only replied, ‘We will see …’

As always, Peter was oblivious to Jasper’s inner dialog. “But why haven’t you drained her, or just left her there, wherever you picked her up, if you couldn’t finish the deed? Why bring her here?” He demanded to know. Jasper could still detect a trace of anger, but for the most part Peter was just curious. 

“I wanted to drain her, believe me … it was really hard to stop at all. Her blood tastes like nothing else I’ve ever experienced …” Jasper stopped midsentence, when he heard a warning growl. ‘Okay, getting of topic here,’ he chastised himself, before he continued. “Right, well … maybe I should start at the beginning. I’ve stumbled across her two days ago …”

Jasper told him everything; from the first moment he laid eyes on the girl to the night he spent with her in the shabby motel room to the next day when he basically kidnapped her. Sure he skipped over his inner musings, but then again, that was a conversation for another time … if ever.

Peter listened very intently, getting calmer with each passing moment, which was a relief. “I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t think it would be prudent to leave her there, not with all the open questions.” Jasper groaned in frustration. “Hell, I don’t even know her name.”

Peter was all relaxed now, and smirking. “She must be something real special to have you wound up so tight. I mean aside from the exceptional taste of her blood … which you won’t get to sample again. Do I make myself clear?” He pinned Jasper with a look that left no room for discussions. With a huff of annoyance and eye-rolling Jasper nodded once in agreement. “Well then … let’s go back to house, and see if she’d awake yet.” He jumped on his feet. He was his old self again, all excitement and enthusiasm. “I have to say from what you’ve just told me, I find myself mightily intrigued. She knows about us and yet she is still alive. It’s a miracle!” 

“Yeah, she is quite the puzzle.” Jasper snorted, following Peter’s lead.

They walked slowly back to the house. Though Jasper didn’t know what was in store for him, he took solace in the fact that he had Peter on his side now … hopefully.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the rating. You’ll see why. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

 

Peter POV

 

Neither one of them was in any hurry to return back to the house, but for completely different reasons though. Whereas Peter simply needed some time to think and process everything his brother had just told him, Jasper was clearly just stalling, dragging his feet, behaving almost like a petulant child.

Of course, Peter knew why – Jasper wasn’t looking forward to face his mate’s wrath. He was probably hoping some more time would work into his favor, giving her the opportunity to calm down some. ‘Oh, Jasper, time is so not the issue here …’

Sure, physically Charlotte was no match for him – neither was Peter for that matter, not really anyway – but then again Peter knew Jasper wasn’t afraid of her using any kind of physical violence against him. Quite the contrary actually, Peter was pretty sure Jasper would gladly take any form of beating over his mate’s verbal attacks. Jasper truly hated getting rebuked by her. And it seemed to happen at least once every time he came to visit, in some form or another. It was a given. Maybe it was part of the reason why he didn’t stay for long. Peter’s wife truly had a talent to make Jasper feel small, inferior even. And something like that never sat well with the Major.

Peter thought it was kinda hilarious, considering that Jasper was the most feared vampire on this continent, but then again he knew how vicious his wife could be using nothing but her quick tongue.

‘And what a wicked, talented tongue she has …’ Peter smirked. Pictures of his mate kneeling before him, opening her sweet little mouth, taking everything he had to offer, popped up in his mind. And it was a very, very nice vision. Charlotte was certainly a pro at giving blowjobs. Peter shook his head vehemently, knowing that now was not the right time.

‘Enough of this … back to the subject!’ He reprimanded himself. Just to be safe, he peeked at Jasper from under his eyelashes, fearing that he might have noticed his ‘slipup’. But fortunately for Peter he hadn’t. He leisurely walked by his side, lost in his own thought process.

In Peter’s opinion, Jasper deserved the scolding more often than not. He was an old soul, but in some ways still so young, immature. He certainly still had so much to learn … not only about true, positive feelings like trust, compassion, and love. He might be an empath, but in all those years he still hadn’t managed to put it to good use. Given his past, Peter could understand Jasper’s reluctance to embrace his gift. Maria had done nothing but exploit his special talent, abusing him in the worst kind of ways, physically and emotionally. This was why he thought of his gift as a curse, not a blessing.

But Peter begged to differ, he always has. Countless times he’d offered his friend his assistance. All he wanted was to help him get control of his gift, teaching him how to use it properly, maybe even help him learn some kind of defense mechanism against any kind of emotional onslaught while they were at it. But every time Jasper had declined, claiming that he didn’t need his help, and that he was doing just fine on his own. Like hell he was, stupid, stubborn son of a bitch. Let’s face it, Jasper has left the pit decades ago, things should have changed by now. But they hadn’t. His choice of lifestyle, spending most time on his own, away from anyone, wasn’t beneficial for his mental state, far from it. In Peter’s opinion it made things only worse, more complicated.

‘And this leads us right back to where we are now …’ Peter thought. Once again Jasper had shown his insensitivity, his disregard for the feelings of others. ‘Pretty pitiful behavior, considering he is an empath.’

As far as Peter was concerned his first, well more like his second reaction was totally justified. He couldn’t help it anyway. When his eyes had fallen on the easy recognizable wound on the sleeping girl’s neck, he’d just snapped. In fact, it had taken every ounce of his willpower not to rip out Jasper’s throat and tear him limp from limp right there and then.

To say that he was relieved when he found out the truth was an understatement. Sure, deep down, Peter never believed that Jasper would stoop that low and take on a human pet, not after what he’d been forced to witness during their shared time with the bitch from hell, Maria. Peter knew for a fact that Jasper had more than despised her for using that kind of torture on all those humans … for nothing more than to satisfy her own sadistic needs. There was really no other purpose behind this cruel act. Killing was one thing, but torturing … that was another thing altogether.

But still, the sight of the neck wound had brought back very old and very bad memories to the forefront of his mind. Peter had hoped to never be reminded of that again, at least not like that. It was enough to have the evidence being flaunted right into his face each and every day. Sure, these days the countless bite wounds, once covering his mate’s beautiful, human body had been replaced with bite marks of a different kind, almost matching his own in shape and numbers, but the memories have never faded.

It was okay … well maybe not okay but Peter was used to it by now, not actually seeing them anymore. And it wasn’t like she wasn’t beautiful anymore. Char would always be the most attractive woman to him, scars or no scars. But they were there, constant reminders of what they had to live through to get where they were now. But at the same time they also showed what they’d accomplished. Against all odds they’d survived and stayed together.

Peter distinctly remembered the circumstances when Char had received her last vampire bite mark, since it was the first and only one Peter had put on her body …

 

\+ + Flashback + +

 

They ran. They just ran, with no particular destination in mind, purely driven by the desperate need to put as much distance as possible between them and the pit they had just managed to escape. Peter knew they weren’t followed, but still … better safe than sorry, right? Since they couldn’t stay in their home state Texas, they headed up north. It was the most logical choice, less sunny days and lots of wilderness, an easy place to stay hidden.

It was a fucking miracle that they’d made it out in the first place. Peter still didn’t know how, but he’d seen it for what it was – the perfect and only chance – and he’d known at once that they had to take it. And now he was more than glad that he hadn’t wavered, otherwise his mate would be dead by now … and probably him too. He still couldn’t believe that Jasper had let them go, just like that. He certainly would never forget that, literally and figuratively.

Peter knew that Maria wouldn’t ask Jasper about Charlotte’s whereabouts, since she ordered him to get rid of her, but she would certainly miss her trusty second in command. Well, she was in for a surprise! To tell the truth, he’d stopped playing that role the minute he’d first laid his eyes on his mate. In that moment something had shifted inside of him, bringing forth an immediate, irrevocably change.

Part of him was worried what Jasper was going to tell their mistress, worried if he’d risked to much by letting them go … but there wasn’t anything Peter could do about that now.

Jasper and he had never been very close. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted that … no quite the opposite actually, given that Jasper was his sire and all that. There already was a bond between them, even if it was very faint. But Jasper was very reserved – socially speaking – always just being the Major, cold and withdrawn, keeping his distance from everybody. Not really surprising. None of them invested feelings lightly in something like friendship or even love, knowing that it could be a risk, a weakness that could be exploited, not only by their enemies.

This was why Peter had done everything in his power to hide his. He’d also taught Charlotte very early, when she was still human, how to do the same. They’ve always known that they were taking a huge risk, but in the end it was worth it.

Peter would never forget the expression on Jasper’s face, when he finally realized what had eluded him for so long. For the most part there had been surprise, but also a flicker of hope … which was probably why he’d let them go.

They fed on the way, but only twice. Peter could tell from Charlotte’s twitchy behavior that she didn’t feel very comfortable to stop running for any length of time, but as always she took her time choosing the right victim, and he let her. She wouldn’t feed on just anybody. Peter had noticed pretty quickly that she only fed on male humans, never on a female. Even in her early days as a newborn she had been lucid enough to make that choice. It was quite remarkable actually. Maybe it had something to do with her most recent experiences as a human, but he’s never demanded a reason. It was bad enough that she could remember every detail about those last six months. He’d hoped that she would have forgotten everything … well not everything, but at least the bad stuff. But as it was, she seemed to be driven by those memories, not slowed down. Her will to survive was strong … and so was her hunger for revenge.

“One day … one day she will pay for all of this, I’ll make sure of that.” She’d vowed, shortly after she’d been forced to fight and kill for the first time. Of course, she’d made sure that no one could overhear them. Peter hadn’t contradicted her, but he hadn’t encouraged her either. As long as the Major was at Maria’s side, she was basically untouchable. It would have been suicide to try anything.

Anyhow … for the moment their plans for revenge were the last thing on his mind. Peter just wanted to get his mate to safety … far, far away from that hell hole.

They finally found a small abandoned cabin deep in the woods, somewhere in northern Canada. It was fairly obvious that it had been vacant for quite some time. Peter estimated it had once been used for hunting purposes. ‘How fitting!’

“Peter, how long can we stay here?” Charlotte asked, sounding weary. He knew that she wasn’t physically tired, but the events of the last days were starting to wear on her. To tell the truth, they both needed a breather.

“I think it’s safe enough to stay for a while, if you like.” Peter answered, pulling Charlotte into his arms. She went eagerly, melting into his embrace.

Peter buried his head in her blond locks, breathing in her luscious scent. “I love you.” He said, sighing in contentment.

“I love you, too … more than anything.” She replied, taking a deep breath. Peter could feel the tension starting to leave her body. He knew it would take some time – for both of them – to stop looking over their shoulders.

They took the next five minutes to evaluate the state the cabin. They were in luck. Aside from some minor water damage in one of the rooms, it was in pretty good shape. Peter estimated it wouldn’t take too long to fix anything broken, but he didn’t plan to do anything like that tonight.

At the moment he had other plans. In a flash Peter was across the front room and pulled Charlotte against his chest. He swiftly lifted her into his arms and carried into the small bedroom. The bed wasn’t anything but perfect, but it would do. Peter crawled on it, his mate still clinging to him, her arms and legs tightly wrapped around his torso. He gently lowered her down, keeping their bodies connected, as they stretched out on the queen-sized bed.

“Hmmm …” Charlotte purred, as Peter kissed along her throat.

“I need you.” He mumbled against her skin, tugging at her shirt.

“Then take me.” She replied, lifting her arms thus making it easier for him to remove her shirt.

True, part of him wanted to just tear her clothes off, but he knew that wouldn’t be a wise decision, considering those were the only things they owned at the moment. The other part – the more dominant part – of him wanted to take his time, savoring the moment, celebrating their victory.

They undressed each other slowly, layer by layer. Peter began to caress every inch of Charlotte’s body, lovingly, thoroughly. She relaxed more and more, clearly feeling safe in his presence … protected and loved. She knew Peter would do everything to keep her safe and happy, and vice versa.

They kissed and caressed each other for what seemed like hours. When Peter finally entered her, they both cried out loudly, in a mixture of relief and pure pleasure. She was still so tight, like the first time he’d done this. Back then she’d been a virgin and still human, and Peter had been forced to mind his every touch, his every move, in order to not to hurt her, but more importantly not to leave any marks on her that would reveal their secret relationship.

Now things were different. Peter was able to use his entire strength, and speed, but the feeling remained just the same. It was pure bliss. He felt like coming home.

With deliberate thrusts he moved in and out of her, slowly at first, allowing her to feel each inch of his length, caressing her from the inside out. She was warm, tight and oh so wet. Peter never wanted it to end. But soon Charlotte couldn’t take this gentle treatment any longer, begging Peter to move faster, to thrust harder. With a smirk he rolled onto his back, gladly handing the reigns over to her. She didn’t hesitate, immediately beginning to ride her mate in earnest.

It was a glorious sight, her breasts bouncing with each thrust. Charlotte’s nipples were hard, begging to be licked and nibbled on. Peter moved into a sitting position, suckling on them in alternating turns. Her moans got louder by the second, joined by Peter’s own growls of pleasure. In this position, they were quickly nearing the end. Peter licked and kissed his way up to her neck, and like always he had to fight the urge to bite down. He wanted to mark her so badly. And to be honest, he didn’t know how much longer he would be able to resist. But he held back, as always, because he was scared. Peter didn’t want to hurt Charlotte … not like this, not ever.

Somehow she seemed to know what he wanted, sensing his silent request. She tilted her head sideways, giving Peter more access to her neck. And then she said the words, he’d only dared to dream about. “Do it!”

Peter stopped mid-thrust, pulling back and staring at his mate in shock. He couldn’t believe it, she sounded so sure. And more than that, he couldn’t detect any sign of indecision in her red eyes, only trust and love. “Char, babe, are you sure? We don’t have to have to do this.”

She smiled warmly. “I know you want this. And I want it too.”

Peter grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to him, kissing her long and hard. “Oh God, I love you so much, Charlotte.” He breathed against her lips.

“Me too, Peter, me too.” She whispered, pulling back slightly to make eye contact. “This mark will be our symbol … a new beginning, an sign of our union. I belong to you, and no one else. And I want the whole world to know that.”

Before Peter could reply anything, she began to move again, up and down his shaft. He was more than okay with that, meeting each of her thrusts with equal vigor. It didn’t take long, and when their orgasms hit, they both sank their teeth in each other’s necks. Oddly, the stinging of our venom wasn’t as bad as Peter had imagined. If anything it only heightened the already strong sensation of their mutual release.

The euphoric feeling subsided slowly, and when it did, Peter moved back into a lying position, pulling his mate with him. They were both exhausted, but blissfully happy, clinging to each other, lovingly licking their necks, sealing their bite marks shut.

They stayed like this for hours, still joined, basking in the aftermath of taking the final step, cementing their union as mates, and the fact that they were finally free.

 

\+ + End of Flashback + +

 

Peter resurfaced with a smile on his face. That day had truly changed everything, and not only for them.

They had stayed in the cabin for almost a year, only leaving it to feed or get any supplies they’d needed, like new clothes. It had been their first real home. The cabin was still there. In fact, they owned the property today. And once in a while they returned there to celebrate, making it a sort of anniversary thing, spending days at a time doing nothing but have sex. Lots and lots of sex …

Without a doubt Peter and his mate had come a long way, spending years and years to learn how to deal with the aftermath of their pasts. It was safe to say that it had gotten easier with time … a lot of time. Acceptance was the only solace, since forgetting was out of their reach. But in Peter’s opinion it was enough. All that truly mattered was that they were together, safe and happy. And they were.

They led quiet lives … for the most part. Peter had returned to Texas only once, for the sole purpose to repay the favor, in getting Jasper out of that hell hole. Since then neither one of them had returned back home, even though things had clearly changed since then. They hadn’t heard so much as a peep from Maria. Peter and Jasper were convinced that she was laying low, maybe even completely given up her plans for world domination. But in the end it didn’t really matter what the bitch was up to or not, as long as she left them alone, they wouldn’t have a reason to prepare for a fight.

 

\+ + + + +

 

Peter and Jasper made it out of the woods, entering the backyard of the house. They came to a halt near Jasper’s car, and Peter turned around to face his friend. He couldn’t help himself, voicing his earlier thoughts out loud. “If I didn’t know it any better, I would say that you’re scared, Major.” He taunted, daring Jasper with a challenging look.

“Shut up.” He growled, not even trying to deny it. It would have been pointless anyway. The strained look on his face was proof enough, but it was his emotional state that truly gave him away. He’d been projecting the entire time way back. There was mostly guilt, spiced with an ample dose of anxiety. “And just for the record your woman is scary.” He kept his voices low, so Charlotte wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“You don’t say?” Peter replied, shrugging uncaringly. “But can you blame her, or me, for reading the signs wrong?”

“No, probably not.” Jasper conceded, but only half-heartedly. He glanced over to the house, pinpointing his gaze onto the second floor, frowning. He stayed quiet for a few seconds, concentrating hard, probably trying to get a read on Charlotte’s mood. Suddenly he huffed. “Yeah, just like I’d thought. She is pretty pissed … and very concerned. Maybe I should …”

Peter didn’t let him finish. “Tut, tut, don’t even think about it.” He reprimanded. “Maybe you should do something to show her that you care about her feelings … and the human, too. Even if it’s not completely true … How about that? You head into the next town and get some supplies.” Peter suggested, not out of courtesy, more out of necessity. Allowing Jasper to go into the house before he had the chance to explain things to his mate would probably only end up in a fight, or at least a screaming match. And he didn’t have the nerve or the time for either one of them. So he came up with the next best thing, sending his friend off to do something useful.

“Supplies … like what?” Jasper asked, confused.

“Are you kidding me? Food and water, you idiot. The girl will need it … a lot of beverages, actually, if memory serves. You better get some pain medication as well, like Aspirin or Tylenol, just ask for help in a drugstore.” Peter instructed him.

“Okay, fine with me.” He agreed at once, acting a little too eager for Peter’s taste. He actually was a little surprised that Jasper didn’t object to the fact that it was him to give an order for a change. Jasper tried to walk past Peter towards the car, but he grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Don’t you dare and try to slip off, and leave us hanging with the human. She is your responsibility, not ours.” Peter reminded him sternly, letting go of his arm, when Jasper started growling.

“I thought you didn’t want me near her.” He shot back.

“Yes, and I meant what I said. You won’t get a chance to hurt her ever again. But I think we both know that you owe her an apology at least.” Peter raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms.

“Apology for what? Not giving her what she wanted.” He scoffed, shaking his head.

“Jasper.” Peter growled in warning. He knew that Jasper was just trying to provoke him, so he decided to play along. “You better go, before I change my mind and set my wife on you … without telling her about the misunderstanding.” He threatened. “Or we could just continue what we’ve started back there. It’s your call. And don’t think that I can’t take you. I’ve got skills, man.”

“Yeah, right.” The blonde chuckled. “Maybe later.” He opened the door to the backseat, reaching inside and tossing Peter a bag. “That’s all she owns. Maybe you’ll need it, in case she wakes up before I am back.” A moment later Jasper was behind the wheel, speeding down the lane as fast as possible.

One thing was for sure. In a way he was escaping. And for a moment there Peter was actually concerned that Jasper would just leave, taking the easy way out, but after what he’d just told him in the woods, he was sure that his friend would be back. He might be taking his time, but he would return, because he was too damn curious. But there was something else, too, something Peter couldn’t quite put his finger on. Getting answers didn’t seem to be the only reason that had piqued his interest in the girl. There was definitely something more to this, something extraordinary.

With a smirk on his face Peter turned around and walked into the house, straight upstairs to find his mate and their guest.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

Charlotte POV

 

As usual Charlotte didn’t question her mate’s orders, just doing what she’s been told. Of course, she wasn’t his loyal puppy, far from it, but she trusted him and his judgment … implicitly.

Only once she’d questioned the wisdom behind his decision. She could clearly remember the day Peter had shared his plan to go back to Texas to try and free their sire. It had been the first and only time they’d had a serious fight …

 

\+ + + Flashback + + +

 

It has been five years, five wonderful, peaceful years since they escaped that hell hole she’d once called her home … well not the place Maria had kept them, but Texas in general.

Peter and she had both agreed in the very beginning to never set foot on the bitch’s terrain ever again. Now that Charlotte had tasted the sweetness of freedom again, she would do anything to preserve it. Which was why she was more than willing to postpone her plans for revenge, maybe even forget about them all together. Revenge wasn’t worth much, if they would end up dead in the process. And the odds were certainly not in their favor. In fact in her opinion there was nothing worth jeopardizing what they had. They both didn’t want to fight any longer, or to be forced to live their lives in fear. All they wanted was peace and quiet.

And Charlotte knew for as long as she was with her mate – free and happy – nothing else mattered. Peter was everything to her … her savior, her reason for being, her one true love. And she knew he felt the same about her, and nothing would ever change that.

A couple of month ago they’d purchased a small house near Vancouver. It was isolated, no human neighbors for the next twenty miles or so. They could have just taken the house, since it had been vacated for the last two years, but Peter had insisted on buying it, to keep up appearances and avoid any trouble with the human authorities. Like they could have done anything about them, but in the end Charlotte did see reason behind his words. Keeping their existence secret was the one and only law in their world they simply had to abide by, which meant playing by the human rules was necessary at times.

There was only one problem. Money. With eternity stretching out in front of them, they would need at least some of it. Stealing things wasn’t something Charlotte was completely comfortable with, a character trait left behind from her human days, but she understood that it was a necessary evil, to get them started.

But thanks to Peter’s foresight, they didn’t have to do this any longer. He’d opened up an account for them, one that provided them with a little extra profit, thanks to some nice interest. But most of the cash they’d stashed around the house, Peter’s idea, not hers.

1929 they still had been in Maria’s boot camp, but of course they had heard about the financial crisis in the human world. The economy was still on its recovery course, but according to her mate it was safe again to invest some money. Since it wasn’t Charlotte’s thing, she handed all the financial stuff gladly over to Peter. She didn’t ask for much to begin with, but having some sort of financial cushion gave them the chance to move freely in a world that had been once theirs, but wasn’t any longer … at least not for the most part.

It was autumn, and most of the leaves had already turned brown. Charlotte loved this season. She spent a lot of time sitting at the lake, watching nature change, reading or simply enjoying the peace and quiet, while Peter was taking care of things around the house or working on his car.

The place was beautiful, their own little piece of heaven on earth. In short time they had turned the house into a nice home.

They spent every day together, never leaving each other’s side for more than an hour. They simply couldn’t bear a longer separation than that. The only time they had to separate was during their hunting sessions. Vampires could become very territorial during hunting and feeding, even if they were mated.

Some of the nights they spent wrapped around each other, cuddling for hours, simply enjoying each other’s presence, without exchanging a word … or actually having sex. It wasn’t necessary to express their undying devotion twenty-for-seven, in words or in actions. Feeling the other one’s presence was usually enough to make them happy. Although, there were other times when they would stay in the bedroom for days …

But over the last two days Charlotte felt that something had changed. Not changed in a bad way, but something was clearly off. Peter had been very quiet, even more than usual. Sure, he wasn’t a chatty fellow to begin with, but this was just weird. And on top of that he somehow acted agitated. A vampire who fidgeted and was constantly dropping things was certainly something out of the ordinary. Under different circumstances Charlotte probably would have made fun of him, but she could feel that something serious was bothering him. Since she wasn’t worried that something was wrong with them, she voluntary kept her distance, thinking that giving him some space and time would be enough to spill his guts. Charlotte strongly believed that he would come to her, whenever he felt ready to talk.

But after forty-eight hours of silent treatment and weird vibes, he still hadn’t said anything. Charlotte finally couldn’t take it any longer. He was miserable and she didn’t like seeing him this way, not to mention that she was dying of curiosity, figuratively speaking of course. So she cornered him in their living room, forcing him to admit what was going on in his head.

At first Charlotte thought she hadn’t heard him correctly, but with being a vampire, she knew that was just wishful thinking.

“Why? Give me one good reason … just one.” She demanded, shaking with anger. Merely on impulse Charlotte took a step back, distancing herself from her mate. It was a stupid idea.

“I owe him … we owe him.” Peter amended, reaching for her hand. For the first time ever, Charlotte pulled away, denying him to touch her. In that moment she didn’t even care that she hurt him with her action. She was too angry. Or maybe, unconsciously she was hoping to change his mind this way. Whatever …

“That’s bullshit. We owe him nothing.” Charlotte spat.

“I know you don’t mean that.” He replied. He wasn’t rebuking her, but he sounded sad and a little disappointed. She didn’t like that at all.

“Yes, I do.” She shot back, plopping down on the couch with her arms crossed. She knew she was acting like a sulking child, but she just couldn’t help it. His plan was just plain crazy. Peter took a seat across from her in one of the armchairs.

“Jasper has been the closest thing to a friend I’d had back then. I have to try, that’s the least I can do.” He explained. Charlotte lifted her head and looked at him, which turned out to be a mistake.

Just like that Charlotte could feel her anger evaporating into thin air. ‘Damn him and his stupid puppy-dog eyes.’ They always got to her. Normally she found this face cute, but right now she hated him for doing that, using it against her, manipulating her.

Rationally Charlotte knew he was right. Of course they did owe Jasper their lives, their freedom, their change at having a future … but that didn’t mean that her mate had to go risk his life, by doing something as stupid as walking back into the lion’s den … alone. That’s right, he said I, not them. Obviously, he wasn’t planning on taking her with him. If going back at all was a bad idea, going alone on this ‘rescue mission’ was foolish, if not suicidal. Who knew what was waiting for him there?

Peter broke through her inner musing, trying to defend his decision further. “I know you have your reservations and I understand. I really do. But honey, I need to do this … you’ve seen him. He is as lost as we were. He needs our help …”

“But why now? After five years?” Charlotte interjected. “And why alone? What if something happens to you? You know I couldn’t live without you. You have to take me with you, please. I can help.” She implored, more or less wholeheartedly. Charlotte was torn. She didn’t want to go back there, but she simply had to. It was clear that there was nothing she could say or do to change her mate’s mind, which was why she offered to go with him. In case something should go wrong she wanted to be there. No, she needed to be there. After all they’d made a promise to each other … for better or for worse.

Charlotte’s mind was quick conjuring up various pictures of her mate being tortured for his disobedience. Her body started to tremble with sobs of despair. She was scared. Peter wasted no time and rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms, making shushing sounds. “Nothing will happen. I promise I’ll be careful. I won‘t take any unnecessary risks. Not for him.” He assured her.

“And I’m coming with you.” Charlotte stated firmly, leaving no room for discussion. She dared him with a challenging look to try and fight her on this. He nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue.

“Fine,” Peter agreed, sounding anything but happy. Charlotte knew why. He was worried. “We will take the truck, and you will wait for my return at the outskirts of the city. I will go in alone. This isn’t negotiable. Take it or leave it.”

“Okay then, Captain.” Charlotte growled, fake-saluting at him. But she knew this was the best offer she would get, and she had to take it. It was better than being left behind, waiting here, thousands of miles away.

They spent the next two hours going over the plan, discussing every detail. Peter was truly in his element, planning attacks had been his job back then, and he was a genius. The only difference now was that they were planning a rescue mission instead of an attack. Or so they hoped.

Charlotte was a little surprised how well informed Peter was, but it certainly made things easier. Apparently the vampire he had run into a couple of weeks ago had provided him with a lot of information they needed … about Maria’s whereabouts and the state of things in her camp. According to that guy she was laying low, biding her time, scheming. The Volturi had paid Texas a visit, again, so for now it was relatively quiet there. That was good news, if that guy was telling the truth. But Peter trusted him. Charlotte only hoped that trust wasn’t misplaced. But then again, Peter was very cautious and not easily fooled.

Getting in wasn’t the part Charlotte was worried about, getting out unscathed and not being followed, well that was the true challenge.

But as it turned out his trust hadn’t been misplaced, neither was hers, even under those unlikely circumstances. Against all odds, Peter managed the impossible. It took him only a few hours to get in, find Jasper and convince him to come with him … everything without getting caught. Peter was truly brilliant.

 

\+ + + End of Flashback + + +

 

The first few weeks after they had returned to Vancouver had been hard, another kind of challenge for all of them. It had taken Charlotte longer than Peter to trust Jasper’s intentions. In the beginning she hadn’t been completely convinced that he truly felt gratitude towards them. Maybe she was overly cautious, but then again with everything she’d gone through, who could blame her. Once bitten, twice shy and all that … in her case literally. But neither Peter nor Jasper reproached her for feeling this way.

Over time – which meant years – Jasper and Charlotte had managed to form some sort of casual friendship, but nothing more than that. With him dropping in every few years and staying only for a week or two, it was sheer impossible to tighten their bond further. If truth be told, Charlotte wasn’t sure either one of them wanted to get closer … not really … but for different reasons.

Peter’s and Jasper’s bond was a different story, though. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they had known each other for over two decades before her time, or maybe it was just a guy thing, who knew.

But all of that didn’t mean that she didn’t welcome him in their home, just like she’d done a moment ago, not knowing what was awaiting her …

 

\+ + + + +

 

Charlotte walked past her mate and Jasper, and pulled the sleeping girl from the car into her arms. She was two or three inches taller than her, but that didn’t matter. Hell, she could have been the size and build of a basketball player, and Charlotte still wouldn’t have any trouble carrying her around … for hours if need be. She shot Jasper one last questioning look, before she made her way into the house.

To tell the truth, Charlotte hadn’t expected him to say something. The weird look on his face didn’t tell her much, but she got the distinct impression that Jasper must have done something pretty bad to piss off her mate, because this wasn’t like Peter. Even though he had tried his best to remain civil, Charlotte knew her mate was mad as hell. And she didn’t need Jasper’s gift to determine that. As his mate she could sense these kinds of things … and let’s face it, Peter has never been able to fool her, others yes, but never her. Charlotte guessed it was a mate thing or something like that.

Whatever … the thing was, Charlotte knew that they kept something from her. She had no idea what was wrong – not yet anyway – but whatever it was, it must have something to do with the girl, Jasper and her, of that she was sure. Charlotte could hear the boys retreating, making their way into the woods. Whatever Peter was planning to say to his brother, he didn’t want her to listen in on their conversation. For the moment she didn’t mind, having the human girl to care of, but that condition wouldn’t last forever.

Charlotte carried the brunette upstairs into one of the guest bedrooms, the one right across from her and Peter’s bedroom. They barely had any use for all the rooms in the house, but she always kept them nice and clean, just in case. And today, she was more than happy to be prepared.

On more than one occasion Jasper had made fun of their lifestyle, once saying that all this luxury was ludicrous. And in a way he was right, it was more than they actually needed, but it was their home, and nobody forced him to stay with them. But of course she hadn’t told him that. Instead she’d said, “Well what can I say? It certainly beats living in a dark, damp cell for six months, wouldn’t you agree?” That answer had shut him right up, and he hadn’t dared to voice his opinion on this particular matter ever again, at least not in front of her.

Jasper surely wasn’t the easiest person to be around, not back then, and not even now, after decades of enjoying freedom. There was still a lot of darkness in him. Charlotte had no clue if he would ever make as much progress as she and her mate. Forgetting was impossible, but learning to deal was still within their grasp … as long as they tried hard enough.

Charlotte shook her head. Now was definitely not the time to ponder over Jasper. She had more important things to do.

She easily managed to pull back the comforter with the girl still in her arms. All it took was a little shifting of the weight. Being a vampire certainly had its perks, now and then. Charlotte laid her on the white sheets, taking a step back to take a first good look at her. She was young, younger than any of them … physically speaking. She was in deep sleep. And from the looks of it still in her pajamas. How odd. Did Jasper take her from her home? Like a kidnapper? She couldn’t imagine that was the case. He loathed the company of humans even more than the company of vampires. So what did he want with her?

From the smell of it, she hadn’t had a shower in at least the last twenty-four hours. She didn’t stink, but Charlotte’s vampiric sense of smell was far more sensitive than that of a human. She could still detect the faint scent of cheap soap, like the ones one would find in motels, but mostly she could smell her. She smelled nice, really nice. But strangely, the scent of her blood did make her hungry.

It took a lot of practice and time, but eventually Charlotte had managed to control her bloodlust, allowing her to be around humans if need be, but she still experienced the tingle of the burning in her throat. But here and now with this girl she felt nothing, no burning in her throat, no hunger at all, nothing. This was certainly a first.

She looked so peaceful, lying there in the middle of the king-sized bed, like an angel, her long brown, wavy hair billowing around her face, covering her neck. Charlotte didn’t want to wake her up, though she was tempted, but she wanted to do something. The clothes she had on were in good shape, but they were old and worn. Charlotte quickly flitted into the other room, pulling a pair of sweatpants and brand new t-shirt from her closet.

Then she returned back to the girl’s side, starting to carefully undress her. When she pulled off her shirt, she froze in shock. The motion had shifted her hair, revealing a single but easy recognizable mark on her pale neck.

“Oh Jasper, what have you done now?” Charlotte gasped, a tearless sob escaping her mouth. “You poor girl … don’t worry I won’t allow him to continue this, I promise.”

There was no doubt in her mind. The son of a bitch had bit the girl. What has he been thinking? Why didn’t he finish the job and kill her? Or dump her somewhere? But bringing the girl here, knowing it would upset not only her, but Peter as well … Jasper must be out of his mind or truly asking for trouble.

Now finally everything made sense to her … starting with Jasper’s unannounced visit … Peter’s less than normal behavior … him asking her to take care of the human while he went for a walk to have a talk with his brother … alone … and then Jasper’s weird facial expression when she carried the girl past him … everything finally clicked into place. Peter had seen the neck wound, and had drawn the same conclusion.

“Oh, I sure hope my mate is giving the bastard what he deserves …” Charlotte cursed.

Instead of going after them like she wanted to, Charlotte stayed right where she was and finished her task of changing the girl into fresh clothes. At the same time she took the chance to examine each inch of her body. She knew from personal experience that there were other arteries vampires liked to sink their teeth into. Especially the male vampires loved to feed of the femoral artery.

Good news was that she didn’t find any other bite marks on her, but there was a lot of scarred tissue. The wounds seemed to be old, and most of them were barely visible to human eyes. Maybe she was prune to accidents.

Charlotte was relieved that she hadn’t found any other bite marks on the girl, glad for the human, not for Jasper. So he had bitten her just once, but that didn’t change anything … not really. Because it didn’t answer the question, why he’d brought her here. Did he want to keep her and feed of her again? Did he want to share her with us? Who knew what his plans were …

But for now all she could do was sit and wait, for the human to finally wake up, or for Peter and Jasper to return … whichever would come first. Her need for answers was strong, but Charlotte decided to stay put, for now.

She didn’t have to wait long, though. Just a couple minutes later she could hear and sense the boys coming back to the house. They were talking, but she couldn’t make out the words. Before Charlotte could voice her opinion about their mystery mongering, she could hear a car leaving the premises. The next thing she heard was the front door opening and then closing very quietly. Charlotte knew right away that it was Peter.

‘Did he make Jasper leave? Well, only one way to find out …’ Charlotte mused, leaving the girl’s side to meet her mate in the hallway. She left the door to the room open.

Peter came up the stair with a small bag in his hands. He stopped right in front of Charlotte, dropping the bag on the floor by the door. “How is she doing?” He sounded concerned, but not really mad. ‘Interesting …’

“Still asleep. But I guess that she will wake up soon.” Charlotte replied. “Did you kick his ass and make him leave?” 

Peter chuckled darkly. “Yes on the first part, and no on the second. I’ve sent him on an errand.” He stated, adding, “To get food and medicine.”

“Good thinking.” Charlotte mumbled. “I know what he did to her. I’ve seen the scar on her neck. I also checked the rest of her body. I found no other bite marks on her … but let me tell you she has a lot of other scars.” The look on her mate’s face told her that he didn’t know that.

“He didn’t do anything,” Peter said, quickly amending his statement, “Other than biting her, once. He met her two days ago … she knew what he was, and didn’t put up a fight. He said she wanted him to do it, like she wanted to die. But somehow he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kill her.”

“Well good for him … and her, I guess.” Charlotte mused, glancing back over her shoulder into the guest bedroom. The girl didn’t seem like the suicidal type to her. There were no wounds on her wrists indicating that she’d tried to off herself before. Maybe she was running from something, and was sick of doing it. Maybe she was running from their kind.

“I hope Jasper will be back before she wakes up. We might need his gift.”

Peter shook his head. “He said it doesn’t work on her … not really anyway.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate, but even though, he should be here … just in case.” Charlotte said. “And of course I’m still planning on beating the crap out of him, for acting so thoughtless. He could have given us a warning instead of just showing up.”

“I know he’s an idiot. I will hold him down for you.” Peter offered with a smirk, before pulling Charlotte into a tight, comforting hug.

“That won’t be necessary.” She growled into his chest, making him laugh. “But thanks for the offer.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

Jasper couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Of course, it didn’t escape his notice that Peter was highly amused by his behavior. He probably took it as a sign of cowardice. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But right now, Jasper didn’t care either way.

And to tell the truth, given the circumstances he was willing to endure any kind of Peter’s teasing rather than facing Char’s wrath. As long as she was under the false impression that he had been planning on treating the girl like Maria had treated her, his ass wasn’t safe anywhere near her. Jasper’s only hope was that Peter would fill her in, make her see reason, in the time it would take him to get the food supplies for the human and return to the house. Fortunately, Peter had believed him that he didn’t mean the human girl any (more) harm. With some luck Char would do the same.

‘But you promised …’ His beast growled in anger.

‘Urgh just shut up. I’m not putting my ass or my friendship with Peter and Charlotte on the line for just another taste of her blood … it’s not worth it …’ Jasper countered.

‘Oh, but it is. Remember the unique sweetness and richness of her blood … how thick and hot it was sliding down our throat…’ The demon tried to persuade Jasper. And to be honest the parasite wasn’t completely unsuccessful.

‘Enough …’ Jasper groaned, trying his best to banish the image from his mind – the one of him, back at that motel’s bathroom, sinking his teeth into the girl’s neck and ingesting the delicious blood of hers. But of course the attempt was futile. Jasper would never be able to erase that picture – or the taste of her blood – from his mind.

Jasper was torn. Part of him desired to have another sip, very much so in fact, and the demon knew that, trying his best to exploit his weakness.

‘We’ll see how long you can withstand the temptation …’ He stated, before retreating back into the depth of Jasper’s mind, into his poorly constructed cage. But Jasper could still feel its confidence. The demon was sure that he would give in … eventually.

And Jasper was afraid that it was right with that assessment.

True, thanks to Peter’s assistance Jasper did find a way to put his demon on the leash, so to speak, but he also knew, try as he might, he would never be in complete control over it. The demon still had a whole lot of influence over him, over his decisions, as well as his reactions, and that was something Jasper was sure would never change. There would always be a ‘he’ and ‘it’, not a ‘them’. And to tell the truth, Jasper wasn’t quite sure if he wanted it any other way. Jasper still gladly handed the reigns over to his alter ego, have him take the lead, in times of great stress. After all, the demon was the main reason he had managed to survive for so long.

Fortunately for everybody, these days he rarely had a reason to unleash his beast.

But even though, Jasper was pretty certain that Peter and Char would be alarmed if they knew the truth. They had managed to fully integrate that particular part into their personality a long time ago, leaving them completely in charge of their demonic side at all times and not the other way around. Of course, they didn’t have the same problem as Jasper, not being cursed like him and all that. And they had each other to lean on. He didn’t have that kind of support system.

‘Stop whining. We are a package deal, end of story.’ His demon growled, clearly annoyed by his host’s nonstop musing. And he had a point; Jasper had done barely anything else over the past two days. This wasn’t like him … at all.

‘I know that …’ Jasper conceded, which seemed to appease the demon, and he retreated once more. Jasper let out a sigh of relief. Right now he needed it contained, considering he was about to enter the human world, literally. Having him on edge, too close to the surface would only end in unnecessary bloodshed. And that was definitely something he wouldn’t risk … for numerous reasons.

In desperate need to distract himself from his swirling thoughts, Jasper turned on the radio, searching for a station that played some jazz. He was in luck. Listening to some tunes usually helped him unwind, and it didn’t fail to serve its purpose now. Jasper didn’t watch a lot of TV, but he was addicted to music. Many of the technical devices that were currently available on the market didn’t hold much interest for him, but he did own the newest iPod, and of course a cell phone. The latter he only bought because it made getting in touch with Peter and Char a lot easier.

While he was driving down the road through the woods to the nearest town, Jasper started to contemplate his options … again.

‘This is starting to get old … and fast…’ This time, for a change, it was Peter’s voice he could hear in his head, instead of the other one. ‘That’s part of life, my dear friend … constantly having to choose between right and wrong …’

Jasper huffed in annoyance. Peter was such a know-it-all sometimes. In fact, he was convinced that his friend was taking great pleasure in trying his patience. What other reason would there be? Time and time again he was baiting him, pushing him right to the edge, but always careful not to cross the line completely … not like that pixie chick back in the fifties. Remembering that day was never leading anywhere, except making Jasper mad, so he quickly changed the direction his thoughts were taking.

‘Back to the matter at hand …making a choice …’

Running and leaving the girl behind was an idea, but certainly a bad one. Jasper was sure after pulling a stunt like that he wouldn’t be able to show his face at his friend’s doorstep for at least a decade … or maybe never again. Peter and Char would be more than disappointed with him. And considering they were the only friends he had, Jasper wasn’t willing to take the risk to lose them over something this trivial.

But more importantly he was no coward. He was Major Jasper Whitlock, for fuck’s sake. His name still struck fear and in the vampire community, and for good reason.

‘It’s time to stop acting like a pussy and face the consequences of my actions …come what may …’

Since leaving wasn’t an option, staying was the only other alternative. And Jasper wanted to stay, if only to get some answers. Hopefully, he would be strong enough to restrain himself, and not succumb to his deepest desire. Fortunately, the girl’s scent did nothing to him. That was certainly a plus. And Jasper was sure he wouldn’t be allowed to get near her, not without Charlotte’s permission. He was sure she would guard the girl with her life.

‘Weird … all this trouble over a mere human …’ He mused. But then again he had only himself to blame.

Finally, Jasper drove by the welcoming sign of a small town, without paying any attention to its name … again. All he cared about was finding one of those well-stocked supermarkets and get this errand over with as fast as possible. On the bright side, the sun was already down, so it was safe for him to walk around without causing a commotion.

Jasper didn’t have to cruise around too long, finding what he was looking for right at the edge of the city. It was one of those Wal-Mart supermarkets. Not that he’d been in one of them before, but of course he’d heard of them. Jasper pulled into a free parking spot. He was a bit surprised. One quite glance at the clock on the dashboard told him that it was almost ten pm, but still almost a third of the parking lot was occupied by a wide variety of vehicles.

Thanks to his vampire vision he could read the sign displaying the opening hours even from where he was sitting behind the wheel, at the outer edge of the parking lot.

WE ARE OPEN TWENTY FOUR HOURS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

Jasper had to give it to the humans; they knew how to provide service. ‘If only for their kind …’ A funny image entered his mind just then, of various humans lined up in a row, sorted by age, gender and blood type, ready to provide one purpose only … free choice of sustenance for his kind.

Jasper blamed Peter for that one. More than once he had made him watch those ridiculous, but apparently very popular TV shows about vampires. Insistent little fucker that he was, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even after countless hours of watching tape after tape, Jasper couldn’t see the appeal. But Peter was quite the fan, excited whenever there was a new show coming up.

The only one Jasper could endure watching without having to fight the constant urge to gouge his eyes out or hurl was the one called True Blood. It was fairly new. Aside from the fact that the creator as well stuck to the basic myths … like their alleged allergy to sun light, sleeping during the day or the misapprehension that a simple blood exchange would create a new vampire … it certainly had its highlights. Although he would never admit it to Peter or anyone else, Jasper had grown quite fond of that Eric character.

Eric was a fierce, strong-minded fighter just like him … well sort of. Jasper liked his wit, and his determination. When he saw something he wanted, he just went out and got it, or at least he tried everything in order to get it. But more importantly, Eric was smart enough to recognize the benefits that came with the revelation of their existence to the humans and take advantage of them, if only to serve his own selfish needs. But what made him truly sympathetic to Jasper was the fact that he was more than reluctant to deny his true nature. He didn’t even consider changing his natural diet. In this they both saw eye to eye. The thought of drinking animal blood was bad enough, but just imagining drinking some sort of synthetic substance made his stomach turn.

Jasper chuckled darkly. His timing really sucked lately. Here he was, just about to go into a building full of humans and all he could think about was his feeding preferences. Luckily he wasn’t hungry at the moment.

Jasper leaned over, reaching into his glove compartment. He pulled out a thick envelope, containing his stash of cash money. He took out some bills, stowing them away in the back pocket of his jeans. Jasper just wanted to be prepared in case he wouldn’t be able to pay with his credit card. He put the envelope back, making sure the glove compartment was closed, before he finally got out of the car.

For a few seconds Jasper just stood next to his car, taking in the scenery and watching the humans. All of them were pushing a cart, empty ones when they were entering and overflowing ones when they were leaving the market.

‘Well, I guess I’m going to need one of those, too …’ Jasper mused, walking over to the entrance to acquire one. He felt a little weird pushing the cart, but mostly he was concentrating to mind his strength and pace. Sometimes it was hard to pretend being one of them, but Jasper did his best to blend in seeing how crucial it was not to attract any attention.

When he walked through the sliding doors, Jasper froze on the spot. His mouth fell open, as he took in the interior of the market. In fact, he almost toppled over backwards from the shock, barely stifling the groan that threatened to escape his throat.

The place was huge.

Sure, Jasper shouldn’t have been surprised. He had seen the exterior of the building, indicating its size, but still it was one thing to picture what things would look like and another to actually see them with your very own eyes.

And he hated to admit it, but what he saw now kinda scared the non-living crap out of him. ‘I am in hell … how am I supposed to find my way around in this labyrinth?’

There seemed to be countless aisles, stretching endlessly and stocked up high with all kind of things a vampire had absolutely no use for … a vast selection of cheap clothes, which were both ugly and smelled weird, tools for home improvement, office material like pencils, paper, … and lots and lots of human food. Who the hell did need such a variety of choice?

‘Isn’t gluttony supposed to be a sin?’

And there was the subject with the artificial light in this place. It was too bright, and too cold, making my sensitive eyes burn a bit, but still. As cliché as it might sound, Jasper has always preferred the darkness. ‘Maybe because we were supposed to be creatures of the night … mmmh … there’s a thought … and it would certainly explain why we are able to see just as good in total darkness as in broad daylight …’

Jasper was pulled out of his reverie by a snippy voice. “Excuse me.” A tiny, plump woman pushed past him, very rudely, muttering profanities under her breath, cursing him for blocking the entrance with his shopping cart. Of course, she wasn’t aware that the vampire could hear every word, loud and clear.

Sure, usually Jasper wouldn’t give a damn what she, or any human for that matter, thought about him. As far as he was concerned they all were just potential meals on two legs, nothing more.

Jasper knew he should just ignore her and her comments, but right here and now when he was already so wound up tight, the woman’s behavior was the last straw. He could feel the familiar tug, the impulse to put her in her place, to show her his superiority. Only the fear of exposure held him back from taking drastic measures.

As hard as it was not to act on his instincts, Jasper stayed put, but he let out a warning growl … with the desired effect. The woman stopped and glanced back over her shoulder, staring at Jasper. Her demeanor quickly changed from being irritated to something else entirely … something oddly familiar. Her eyes widened and her face paled. And even though Jasper enjoyed her stench of fear, he immediately realized that he’d screwed up.

‘Shit … so much for keeping up appearances … and being on stealth mode …’

Jasper knew he had to do something, and quickly, anything to defuse the situation before it would escalate. He slapped on his best apologetic smile, sending her some calming waves along with it, just for good measure. Right now, he was grateful for having such a handy gift.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am.” He drawled, bowing his head.

Before she could reply something, Jasper pushed his cart past her, hurrying to get away from the woman as fast as he could, careful not to arouse any more suspicion by moving to fast. He could still sense her confusion two aisles away, which was okay. Confusion he could handle, but panic … not so much.

‘One problem solved, onto the next … the reason why I came here. Shopping for the human …’ Jasper sighed, wondering where he should go first.

Jasper felt like a creature from outer space … or like a nun in a sex shop. He really had no idea what most of the stuff was. Yes, reading the labels would tell him what it was called – and sometimes even what it was – but it didn’t tell him if it was considered necessary … or tasty.

Back in the days, when he was still human, shops like these didn’t exist, even in the bigger towns. And Jasper grew up on a farm, which provided his family with all the things they had needed … food and shelter.

True, he could probably ask someone to help him out, but Jasper decided against it. Evidently, he wasn’t a people’s person. He was just glad that the demon hadn’t reared its ugly head. The outcome would have been completely different. Jasper could tell that he was amused, but obviously hadn’t deemed it necessary to show himself … dealing with a low life and all that. It was clearly beneath him.

But the little incident back at the entrance aside, Jasper knew the less interaction he had with the humans the better. It would be for the best – for both sides – if he kept his distance as much as possible. True, it would be a challenge given the circumstances, but not completely impossible.

And yet … due to his nature he had been drawing attention to himself the moment he entered the store, without intentionally seeking it. No real surprise there, Jasper was used to that kind of reaction. He could feel the eyes of many women – and some men – on him, checking him out. Waves of awe, mixed in with the usual dosage of desire and lust hit him, as he strolled down the aisle. Jasper tried his best to ignore it, keeping his head down, avoiding eye contact altogether, and sending out clear signals of warning at the same time. Sure, Jasper didn’t care what they thought of him, but also he knew it was in everybody’s best interest to appear unapproachable. After all, he wasn’t here to find his next meal. He had a mission to complete, and no time – or even the slightest interest – to get sidetracked. 

With that in mind, he concentrated on the task at hand.

Seeing as every aisle was labeled, Jasper deduced that it couldn’t be that hard to find his way around in this maze. And not to mention the fact that he had his nose to guide him in the right direction.

He vaguely remembered a commercial about a cereal brand called Kellogg’s, but that was years ago. Maybe he should have watched more TV. All those commercials about food and stuff during the breaks might have given him some idea what to get. What do humans eat nowadays? Or more precisely what did she like to eat?

Since Jasper had no idea what the human girl’s preferences were, he decided to stick to the basics … bread, butter, milk, definitely a couple of bottles of water, perhaps some juice, and of course a small selection of vegetables and fruits should do it.

When he reached the aisle storing the first item on his list, Jasper was once again overwhelmed by the vast variety of choice. But since his patience was running thin, he just grabbed the first one that caught his eye, not actually caring what brand he was picking out. He also grabbed a box of cereal, settling on the classics, plain cornflakes.

‘If she doesn’t like it, she could bite me …’ Jasper thought with a smirk, enjoying the double entendre.

He checked of every item on his mental list and soon his cart was overflowing with all kind of goods. He might have overdone it a bit with the beverages, but then again Jasper was just heeding Peter’s advice. But more importantly he had no desire to make this kind of trip every day. Although … how much could a tiny human like her need, to satisfy her hunger? Jasper estimated that the supplies he got should last for a week, at the very least. Maybe next time Char or Peter would take over this hideous chore. But knowing Char, she would insist that he should continue doing it, taking care of the human in this way, as part of his punishment for hurting her in the first place.

Jasper’s final stop before checkout led him to the area, where all the cooled and frozen goods were stored. Taking in the size of the area, he immediately realized its significance. And a thought popped into his head.

He pulled out his cell and dialed Peter’s number, who answered on the second ring. “Don’t tell me? You need some advice on what to get.”

“No,” Jasper replied gruffly, “I just called to ask if you guys have a fridge, since I hadn’t had a chance yet to see for myself. It seems like most of the human food requires cold storage these days.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s weird. But anyhow, to answer your question, yes we do own a fridge, even in working order.” Peter chuckled, and Jasper could hear Char doing the same in the background. He wasn’t sure if they were laughing at him, or at some private joke, but in the end it didn’t really matter. “And before you ask, we also have a fully stocked kitchen … plates, glasses, silverware, pots and pans; the whole nine yards. And we even own a microwave.”

“Why in God’s name do you have all those things? Never mind … I’m just glad that I don’t have to hunt down any of these items too. It’s bad enough as it is.” Jasper grumbled, inadvertently scaring off a blond girl who had been stalking him for the last ten minutes.

“Oh, poor Major, my dead heart goes out to you. Well, try to have fun anyways … and don’t forget to pick up some of the good stuff for us grown-ups.” Peter chuckled. Like Jasper needed a reminder. He was already planning to get a couple bottles of single malt. In fact, right here and now he was wishing that vampires could get drunk. It would certainly help to take off the edge.

“Yeah, yeah I’m on it. See you later.” Jasper said, hanging up on his friend, and thus cutting off his laughter. “Stupid motherfucker.” He cursed under his breath, turning his attention back to his task, eager to get the shopping over with.

Sheer out of curiosity Jasper picked up one of the prepared dishes and read the label. With a frown on his face, he wondered how humans could actually enjoy eating this junk. Taking into account the amount of synthetic ingredients, any of those dishes were a rather poor excuse for a healthy meal, but he picked up a couple of them anyway. They were easily fixed, by the use of that microwave thingy, something even a vampire without any cooking skill could achieve.

After thirty minutes Jasper was finally ready to leave. Thankfully, the line at the checkout counter was relatively short. It took him only a few more minutes to check out. He actually had to swallow back a snide remark when the cashier told him the total sum, just handing her a couple of bills instead.

“Keep the change.” He told the girl, already pushing his cart towards the exit. Thanks to the extra service provided by a short boy, he didn’t have to bag the stuff himself. As soon as Jasper left the building he took in a deep, though unnecessary breath of relief.

‘Thank god, I’m done …’

Jasper hurried to put all the purchases into the trunk of his car. After returning the cart he practically jumped behind the wheel, driving off without any delay. He made a short pit stop at the nearby pharmacy to get some pain medication. And of course he also made a short visit to a liquor store to get some much needed alcohol and even some smokes.

At last Jasper was done, ready to return back home … well, back to Peter’s and Char’s current residence. For a moment he wondered if the girl would already be awake by the time he made it back there. But then again why should he care?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

Jasper POV

 

The drive back from the town to Peter’s and Charlotte’s house was uneventful and short. Only half an hour later Jasper pulled up in the driveway, parking in the exact same spot as before, cutting off the engine.

Jasper was glad to be back here. Well, sort of. At the very least he didn’t have to hide who he was around here, not even from the human sleeping in one of the rooms on the upper level. She already knew what he was, or so he assumed. Well, the biting and drinking her blood should have been enough of a tip-off.

Since Jasper was free to move as fast as non-humanly possible, he took full advantage of it. In a blink of an eye he was out of his car and had the trunk popped up. Jasper frowned at the numerous bags, waiting to be unloaded. Even with his vampire strength, he estimated that it would take him perhaps three times to get everything into the house. Driven by his sheer stubbornness, his unwillingness to do this alone, Jasper called out for help, loud enough to be heard by a vampire, but still too quiet for a human ear to pick up.

“Can someone lend me a hand?” He all but growled.

Jasper could hear and feel Peter’s amusement before he emerged from somewhere behind the house. He brushed dirt from his clothes as he leisurely walked over to him.

“The mighty Mayor asking for help … I’m shocked. Are you sick?” Peter reached out, as if to feel his forehead. Instead of slapping his hand away, Jasper simply dodged, although he was tempted to swipe the mocking look of his friend’s face.

“Just shut up and grab the rest, will you?” He snapped at Peter, walking over to the house with his arms full of human food supplies.

At first Jasper didn’t pay any attention to the interior when he entered the house, too impatient to find the kitchen. But it was rather easy to find, since the entire downstairs was practically one big room, with a joining kitchen. He walked straight over to the counter separating the spacious living room from the tiny kitchen area, unloading the goods. Then he took a curious glance around. Of course there were lots and lots of bookshelves, filled with books and DVDs, but no knick knacks. A large flat screen was installed against the east wall, above the fireplace, and the spacious couch and the big matching loveseat were looking rather inviting.

Despite its roominess the living area looked rather cozy. Maybe it was all the wood, and the dark colors. True, Jasper has never had any desire to settle down, but he had to admit this place had some appeal.

“You like it?” Peter asked with a smirk in his voice, placing his load next to Jasper’s.

“It’s okay.” The blonde shrugged, trying to sound indifferently, but going by Peter’s emotions he wasn’t very convincing. Jasper started to unpack the goods, using it as a distraction. “I think we should put away the frozen stuff, before it’s going to melt.” He suggested. Of course, Jasper didn’t care about the waste of money, but he had no desire to go back to that awful place to replace those items, at least not any time soon.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Peter agreed. In the matter of seconds the fridge was stocked with everything that needed to be kept cooled or frozen. They put the rest of the things into the empty cupboards above the sink, and the vegetables and fruits landed in a big bowl. They left a couple of the water bottles on the bar, not knowing if the human preferred her beverage cooled or room temperature.

After finishing with that task, Jasper leaned casually against the counter, feeling utterly pleased with himself. As far as he was concerned by providing and (correctly) storing sustenance for the human, he’d served his sentence. But knowing Peter’s mate she wouldn’t agree with him on that.

Peter stood a few feet away from him, reading the prescription manual of the painkillers Jasper had picked up at the pharmacy. His brows were furrowed slightly. Jasper almost laughed at Peter’s concentrated look, but he didn’t. Instead he took the opportunity to take a closer look at his friend, noticing that the dirt on his clothes was in fact a fine layer of sawdust. “What the hell have you been doing in the backyard?”

Peter glanced down at his clothes, and huffed in annoyance. He desperately tried to clean himself further, but to no avail. Finally realizing that at this point there was nothing he could do to rectify the state of his clothes, he gave up. He shrugged his shoulders, and then he looked up, straight at Jasper. “I’ve been chopping wood, what else? For the fireplace upstairs and down here … now that we have a human among us, we have to keep the house heated, don’t we?”

It did make sense. The cold didn’t bother vampires, but Jasper guessed that the nights around here could get quite cold and therefore uncomfortable for a fragile human. Still, he frowned. What else were they going to do for her?

“She is still out cold.” Peter said, stating the obvious. Even from down here Jasper was able to ascertain that the human was still deep in slumber land. Her breathing was steady and regular, and so was her heartbeat. It was strange, but he was relieved, glad even, that she was recovering that quickly.

Her strong heartbeat was a little distracting though, calling out to him, and his parasite … like a homing beacon. Thankfully, the monster seemed to be at peace … for the moment.

‘Just stay close to her … that’s all I need … for now.’ The monster chimed in. It wasn’t first time he was a demand, acting like he was actually in charge.

‘Am I not?’ It challenged.

‘I don’t think so.’ Jasper retorted, grumpily. But the truth was that the demon had more influence over Jasper’s actions and decisions that he was willing to admit, out loud. But unfortunately Jasper wasn’t able to hide his thoughts from it. The demon sniggered in response, but remained silent. Jasper exhaled loudly.

Completely misinterpreting his reaction, Peter hurried to reassure his friend. “But I’m sure she’ll wake up soon.” Playing along, Jasper simply nodded.

“You are right about that assessment, honey.” Charlotte agreed, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. She walked over to Peter, and kissed him soundly on the cheek, before turning around, and opening the fridge. “Hmm … I have to say you did a fine job.” She said, examining the contents.

A huge grin spread across Jasper’s face. Clearly picking up his mood change, Char’s head snapped up, and she glared at him. “You have no right to feel smug. This was hardly a hard task to accomplish.” She scolded. “And don’t think you are off the hook … oh, no, not by a long shot.” She added, reaching for one of the water bottles and the pain medicine. Jasper scowled, but didn’t dare to oppose her. Without another word Char left the kitchen to go upstairs again.

Peter had his lips pressed together, very tightly, like he was trying, very hard, to keep himself from laughing or commenting. Jasper didn’t care which urge was stronger.

“Not. A. Word.” He warned his brother through clenched teeth. Knowing it wouldn’t end well for him to disrespect Jasper, he complied … grudgingly though. Jasper might allow his wife to walk all over him, without retribution, but that didn’t mean that Peter had the same privileges.

His monster didn’t like to be reprimand by a submissive (his words not Jasper’s), but it never commented in words or forced Jasper into action, at least not against Charlotte. Jasper had no idea why, though.

‘Isn’t that obvious? I like feisty women …’ The demon answered the unspoken question.

‘Weirdo!’ Jasper replied with an eye roll.

‘Look who’s talking … er thinking. Remember I am a part of you. And you know what that means.’

‘No, I don’t.’ Jasper denied vehemently.

‘Well, that’s too bad. Maybe it’s time for you to figure it out …’ The demon trailed off, retreating once again, thus leaving Jasper hanging with even more questions. Knowing he wouldn’t get any useful answers out of him, Jasper dropped the subject … for the time being.

A few minutes later, Peter and he went to join Charlotte on the upper level.

There were four doors, but only one was open. Peter went straight inside the room, while Jasper remained in the hallway. He could tell that Charlotte didn’t want him in the room, but otherwise she didn’t seem to mind his presence up here. To Jasper’s surprise, she was actually glad that he was close by. She was probably hoping that his gift would come in handy, when the girl would finally wake up. Too bad, that it didn’t seem to have any effect on the human. Jasper had mentioned it to Peter, but maybe he hadn’t shared this vital piece of information with his mate. Jasper surely didn’t want to point it out now. He wanted to be there when the girl would regain consciousness. And who knew, perhaps this time it would work. Maybe he’d just have to try harder.

Not knowing what else to do, Jasper sat down on the floor, making himself comfortable by leaning casually against the wall. Even from this position he still had a perfect view inside the room.

Jasper could see the girl lying on the big bed, dressed in a fresh set of clothes. She looked rather peaceful … and truly enticing with her long, dark hair fanned out like that. God, he should stop thinking about her like that, even it was the truth.

Charlotte sat next to her on the bed. Jasper could tell that she was restraining herself from touching the girl, even though he didn’t understand why she would want to do that. Sure, the warmth of the human skin was a very pleasant experience for vampires. But he doubted very much that Char’s intentions had anything to do with that. His best guess was she just wanted to hold her hand or caress her cheek, anything to show sympathy, because as a vampire she didn’t need physical contact to check for vital signs.

Peter sat in one of the armchairs near the window, watching his mate with interest. But whereas Jasper was astounded by Char’s open display of affection he was simply smiled. He didn’t feel the same way about the human as his mate. That much was obvious. But something told Jasper that his friend would do everything in his power to protect this human, because that’s what Charlotte wanted.

Still, Jasper wondered how the human would feel about this. Would she be glad to have two vampires guarding her? Or would she freak out … at last?

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long to get his answer. A couple of minutes later, the human girl began to stir.

 

\+ + + + + + +

 

Bella POV

 

Bella could feel something tugging at her mind. The sensation felt oddly familiar. It felt like waking up … from a very weird, very vivid dream.

But that couldn’t be right. She should be dead and in heaven by now. She certainly hasn’t done anything to deserve to go to the other place. But this didn’t feel like cloud nine, not that she has any idea what it would actually feel like. But wasn’t heaven supposed to be a place of eternal peace and happiness? Bella certainly didn’t feel peaceful or happy, quite the opposite actually.

And on top of that, she hurt, all over.

It wasn’t the burning sensation Jimmy had told her about. Every muscle in Bella’s body was aching, like she’d had a really tough physical workout without warm-up … for hours. And she was thirsty … craving water, not blood.

‘So, I didn’t go through the change. I’m not dead and I’m not a vampire. I am still me, little human Bella.’ She concluded. ‘But what the hell happened then?’

Without making any conscious effort, her memories came rushing back, including the last moments before she’d blacked out …

 

\+ + Flashback + +

 

Bella sat in the motel diner, sipping on a bad cup of coffee. She dearly missed Starbucks. True, coffee was coffee, in general. It always contained caffeine, helping her to stay awake. But there was something about a triple mocha latte with whipped cream. Somehow it seemed to make the whole experience of drinking coffee that much better.

Bella tried to pass the time reading, but it was hard to concentrate. She was wondering how she would get to the next town. She hated hitch-hiking, and sleeping in those cheap, crappy motels. But what other choice did she have? She needed to save money every way she could, especially now that she had only a couple hundred bucks left. She’d considered getting a job in the next town, but without an ID, things could get a bit dicey. Well, she could always get a temporary one, poorly paid, but at least it would help her get by for a few more weeks.

Of course, she’d also considered going to Forks, disregarding Jimmy’s warning to go and find my father. But she couldn’t. It was too dangerous. And she certainly didn’t want to pull her father into this mess.

So far, she has been lucky. The guys, and occasionally women, that had offered her a ride had been nice. But she always knew her luck would run out eventually. And it did … when HE came into the diner.

He took a seat at the bar, ordering only something to drink.

Jimmy had warned her to keep a low profile, not to call any attention towards herself. But Bella couldn’t help herself, she simply had to look.

Bella knew right away what he was. A vampire. Just like Jimmy, he was blond, though his hair was longer and slightly curled. For some unknown reason she wanted to run her fingers through it. He was tall, and muscular, probably around twenty years old (physically speaking). He was dressed casually, with jeans and shirt … and cowboy boots. And even with this slightly annoyed look on his handsome face, he was drop dead gorgeous (no pun intended). He seemed to be upset about something. Somehow, she got the impression he didn’t want to be here, but was stuck for some unknown reason.

Bella tried to be careful, sneaky, observing him from under her eyelashes, while still pretending to read her book. She couldn’t help herself, he had her full attention from the very first moment he entered the diner.

‘Damn those vampires and their alluring power …’

And then her eyes met his across the room. She couldn’t look away. She felt trapped in his gaze, like she was under some sort of spell. His red eyes didn’t frighten her, though. Jimmy’s eyes had the same color and she wasn’t scared of him either … at least not anymore. Bella trusted Jimmy with her life, especially after … She stopped that thought right in its tracks. This was neither the time nor the place to have a mental breakdown.

The strange vampire let his eyes wander unabashedly over her body. Bella felt utterly exposed under his intense scrutiny. She was torn between feeling embarrassed and thrilled.

Jimmy had told her, that vampires were very sexual beings, with incredible stamina. For a split second Bella imagined herself with this blonde godlike creature in her motel room, on the bed, their limps entangled, his lips kissing and caressing every inch of her body, and then his cock thrusting into her, hard, again and again … until …

‘Damn hormones,’ Bella cursed silently, quickly dropping her gaze. She knew she was blushing furiously. It actually felt like her whole head was on fire. She knew she shouldn’t be fantasizing about a stranger like that, especially not about someone like him. Who knew if he was out to get her like all the others of his kind?

Bella knew she needed to leave, and fast. She searched her pocket for some coins, placing them on the table next to the half empty cup of coffee. Then she got up and left the diner, trying to act normal, most likely failing completely.

She could feel his eyes on her the whole time. It rattled her. Would he follow her? But what if he did? She knew she was no match for him. He was a thousand times stronger, and faster.

Realizing that there was nothing she could do to prevent him from coming after her, Bella went straight into her rented room, not bothering to lock the door. It wasn’t like she was trying to make it easier for him to get to her, far from it. But seriously … if he wanted to get in, he would find a way. Bella changed into her sleeping attire and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

This was where he found her a few minutes later. Since Bella had anticipated his arrival, she didn’t show any surprise or resistance, merely accepting the inevitable. Right then she knew she would die. He didn’t need to use any force, when he pulled her closer. She went willingly, actually leaning into the stranger’s embrace.

“Do it.” That was the last thing Bella said, before his teeth cut into her neck. With each pull she felt her strength weakening, until the darkness took her completely …

 

\+ + End of Flashback + +

 

He had bitten her. Bella could clearly remember that. And yet, she was still alive. How was this possible? Did he stop? But why? And how? Jimmy had told her that once a vampire started feeding, it was practically impossible to stop, because the bloodlust took precedence over everything. And what about the venom? Didn’t he inject some of it into her system? Apparently not. Bella’s mind was reeling from all the unanswered questions. And as a result her head started to hurt even more.

Sure, Bella wanted answers to all of her questions, but first and foremost she needed to know where she was.

Of course, she could just open her eyes to check, but Bella was afraid to do so. Instead she used her other senses to gather some information.

Her sense of smell told her that she was definitely not in the motel room any longer. She was actually glad about that. She’s always hated that the weird, moldy stench that came along with those cheap motel rooms. Bella took in another deep breath. The air was clean and crisp, but slightly tinted with sweetness. The smell seemed familiar, yet foreign. ‘Odd …’

According to her sense of touch, Bella assumed she was lying on a bed. It was very, very comfortable bed, and the sheets were so soft, like silk. That was even more proof that she wasn’t in that motel anymore. The sheets in those establishments always made her itch. If it were up to her, she would stay in this bed and never get up. But Bella knew she had to face reality eventually.

Bella couldn’t hear anything … well that wasn’t quite true. There were birds singing, and she could hear leaves rustling nearby, but other than that it was quiet. Was she in the woods somewhere? Did HE bring her here, wherever here was? But for what purpose?

There was this weird humming noise, like a swarm of bees. It sounded very close, and like the sweet smell, it seemed oddly familiar. ‘Think Bella …’ And suddenly, it clicked. She knew that sound, and that perfume, for the lack of a better term. There were at least two vampires in the room with her, maybe more.

Bella’s eyes snapped open. At first she could barely make out anything. It was dark, probably nighttime. She sensed someone moving. A second later a soft light brightened the room considerably.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, sweetie.”


End file.
